Skip to main content
main content, press tab to continue
Service

Rx Collaborative

The Rx Collaborative is the largest pharmacy coalition in the U.S. with over $7B in drug costs.

Contact Us

25% Employers can save up to 25% annually on drug costs

Celebrating 20 years at the forefront of pharmacy

2024 marks the 20-year anniversary of WTW’s Rx Collaborative. Continuing to disrupt the marketplace and push for transparency and savings for employer plan sponsors.

Why Rx Collaborative?

We represent over 428 employers with approximately $7 billion in drug spend and 5.3 million members. Our collective purchasing power and expertise enable us to provide you with financial savings, transparency in pricing, pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) oversight and innovative programs and services unsurpassed in today's marketplace.

The Rx Collaborative offers arrangements with four premier PBMs.

Logos of the four PBM's: Capital Rx, CVS Health, Express Scripts and Optum Rx
Our four premier pharmacy benefits managers.

With our highly competitive deal terms and cutting-edge clinical and program management, you can achieve significant savings that will immediately impact your bottom line.

Rx Collaborative benefits

Employer savings

Rx Collaborative deal terms, along with an active pharmacy management strategy, can save your organization up to 25% of current drug costs.

Dedicated expertise

Rx Collaborative clients have dedicated pharmacists, actuaries, health management and pharmacy consultants, health care technology specialists and pricing experts at their fingertips.

Enhanced service delivery

We advocate on your behalf so that you receive superior account management service and issue resolution support.

Exclusive access

Employers receive exclusive access to best practices, market-leading programs and premier services.

Program flexibility

Maintain program flexibility to select the right design, formulary and clinical management approaches for your organization.

If your company has more than 1,000 employees and is eligible for a PBM contract renewal, contact us at RxCollaborative@wtwco.com for a free Rx Collaborative savings analysis. If your company has fewer than 1,000 employees, please visit our Attune Rx page.

More information

Rx Collaborative savings analysis

If your company has more than 1,000 employees in your pharmacy benefit, then contact us for an RxC savings analysis.

Rx Collaborative – 20 years pushing the market forward

Delivering solutions and innovations to employers to meet market challenges and needs.

  • 2004

    Challenge: Traditional PBM pricing model made it difficult to understand the true cost of drugs.
    Innovation: Launched the RxC

  • 2006

    Challenge: Employers wanted a better understanding of costs through data and the ability to audit.
    Innovation: Added services and features to address employer needs and add more value

  • 2007

    Challenge: PBMs formulary had limited focus on lower net cost generic drugs.
    Innovation: Formed the Towers Watson Reference Formulary and Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee

  • 2009

    Challenge: Specialty drug costs were growing and becoming a larger portion of drug spend. PBM contract pricing was becoming stale due to broad market pricing improvements.
    Innovation: Developed RxC specialty drug list
    Added annual market checks with price improvements

  • 2012

    Challenge: With consolidation in the PBM space, employers needed additional vendor choice.
    Innovation: Added a second PBM partner CVS Caremark

  • 2017

    Challenge: Employers needed vendor options other than the two largest PBMs.
    Innovation: Added a third PBM partner Optum Rx

  • 2022

    Challenge: Employers needed to control specialty spend with flexibility to carve-out from their PBM.
    Employers needed mid-market and carve-in solutions.
    Innovation: Added a fourth PBM partner Capital Rx
    Launched a mid-market carve-out solution, Attune Rx, through a partnership with RxBenefits

  • 2023

    Challenge: Employers needed to control specialty spend with flexibility to carve-out from their PBM.
    Employers needed mid-market and carve-in solutions.
    Innovation: Launched a carve-in solution, ConnectMed Rx, through a partnership with Anthem/Carelon

FAQ – Frequently asked questions

A PBM is an organization that manages pharmaceutical benefits for employers, managed care organizations or other medical providers. PBM activities may include all or some of the following:

  • Benefit plan design
  • Claims processing (also known as claims adjudication)
  • Creation and administration of retail/mail networks
  • Drug utilization review
  • Formulary management
  • Prior authorization
  • Disease and health management
  • Pharmacy management is the focus of pharmacy vendors (i.e., PBMs).
  • The carve-out solution continues to resonate with employers as PBMs provide a strong value proposition in managing pharmacy
  • Financial arrangements are typically backed by guarantees
  • Designated account management team includes clinical pharmacist support
  • Greater opportunity for transparency
  • More flexibility and greater control over pharmacy benefit
  • Retail pharmacy network options
  • Formulary options with rebates
  • Communication support
  • Strong reporting, including online access and web-enabled capabilities

A pharmacy carve-out pharmacy arrangement is when pharmacy benefits are separated from medical benefits and are managed outside of an organization’s primary medical health plan vendor. This approach is self-insured, and an employer works directly with a PBM to administer and manage the pharmacy benefits.

A pharmacy benefit group purchasing employer coalition leverages their members’ combined purchasing power to obtain maximum discounts from their PBM vendor partners for all its members. The group’s collective buying power far exceeds what any one company can generate on its own and can provide savings by being a part of the coalition. In addition, the combined size leads to better account management and services. What differentiates the Rx Collaborative in the market are the superior services and expertise available to its members.

Contact us