PBMI's 17th Annual Drug Benefit Conference -- February 22-24, 2012

PLANO, TX--(Marketwire - Dec 15, 2011) - Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (PBMI) is hosting its 17th Annual Drug Benefit Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, February 22-24, 2012 at the Talking Stick Resort & Casino. Conference attendees will learn about the best approaches for managing the traditional and specialty drug benefit. The conference will feature two health care special guest speakers, 15 educational sessions presented by industry experts with an option to follow a full three-day Specialty Program, and hear first-hand results from PBMI's first Annual Specialty Drug Benefit Report of Employers and Health Plans.

PBMI's annual conference has a long-standing reputation for providing relevant and actionable information for all members of the pharmacy supply chain. "We are particularly excited this year to be offering a full conference agenda on specialty pharmacy management as our plan sponsor members have clearly told us they want more education on best practices in specialty pharmacy management under the pharmacy and the medical benefit," said Brenda Motheral, Executive Director, PBMI.

Conference Highlights Include:

• Special Guest Keynote - The conference will kick off with a thought-provoking keynote presentation by Dr. H. Gilbert Welch. Dr. Welch is a general internist at the White River Junction VA and a professor of Medicine at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Research. He has recently published, Overdiagnosed: Making People Sick in the Pursuit of Health (Beacon Press 2011).
• Special Guest Speaker - Barrett Toan, Chairman of the Board for Sigma-Aldrich Corporation and Former CEO of Express Scripts will address the dynamic evolution of the PBM industry. Mr. Toan has a wealth of health care industry experience (32 years) which includes more than 20 years as a chief executive officer.
• Customizable Educational Experience and Specialty Track - Conference attendees can customize their conference experience by choosing from 15 educational sessions which include the choice to follow a full three-day Specialty Program or mix and match with Traditional Pharmacy Benefit tracks. (Continuing Education credit available).
• Survey Result Highlights from PBMI's First Annual Specialty Drug Benefit Report - PBMI will launch its first Specialty Drug Benefit Report and review results of its 2011 Specialty Drug Benefit Survey of Employers and Health Plans. Complimentary copies of the report will be available for conference attendees.

For Conference details view the Conference Program Preview. To learn more about the conference, contact Linda DeChant, Sales Director at ldechant@pbmi.com or visit www.pbmi.com and register online.

About The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (PBMI)

PBMI provides research and education to help healthcare benefit executives work with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and other professionals to design prescription drug benefit programs.