Pharmacy Products Shopping Patterns of Members Before and After Joining a Large Managed Health Care Plan: A Pilot Study

The objective of this study was to measure the change in subjects' shopping patterns for nonprescription products after the subjects were enrolled in a managed health care organization where the provision of pharmaceutical services was limited to the organization's in-house pharmacies or a network of preferred provider cornmunity pharmacies. Before enrollment, the prescription and nonprescription shopping patterns of members in the staff and group models were similar. After enrollment, staff model members switched to the in-house pharmacy for prescription services, but their shopping patterns for nonprescription products changed very little. After enrollment, group model members' prescription and nonprescription products shopping patterns changed very little. Reported changes in shopping patterns for nonprescription products for members in both models were due mainly to moving or convenience. The conclusion was that enrollment in a managed health care organization caused minimal direct change in the nonpr...