03/03/2021

How ‘White Bagging’ Affects Patients and Physicians

Having specialty pharmacies fill prescriptions may lower costs, but critics of the practice see safety issues and other drawbacks.

In healthcare, one action often begets another. A patient is treated for cancer, resulting in nausea, and then is treated for nausea. Changes in payer policies also can trigger a cascade of events affecting patients, providers and payers in unanticipated ways. An example is “white bagging,” in which a prescription is filled by a third-party specialty pharmacy and then administered by the provider without the provider taking ownership. The seemingly minor change of using a third-party pharmacy can raise patient copays and plan sponsor bills, interrupt scheduling and treatment, affect the provider’s bottom line, disrupt pharmacy receiving and storage systems, and introduce safety concerns. It can also save the payer a lot of money.  READ MORE