A Lesson in Winning Drug Plan Design with Reformulary

The JOEY Restaurant Group has restaurants in four provinces across Canada and 1 US state, with about 3300 employees. For five consecutive years (2010-2014), JOEY has been recognized as one of the Great Place to Work® Best Workplaces in Canada, and was most recently awarded as one of the Top Employers for Young People.

What makes JOEY such a winning culture? “Our performance-based culture and the attitude ‘We expect the best, and we reward the best’. A benefit plan that reflects our culture is important…and a good prescription drug plan is a big part of it,” says Andrew Martin, Vice President of Human Resources.

Unlike many organizations that view their drug plan as a growing cost of doing business, JOEY sees it differently. Martin explains, “We recognize our drug plan as an investment in the overall health and well-being of our people. Our drug plan encourages our employees to be engaged and make sensible choices about the prescription drugs they are taking.”

Realizing their drug plan has an impact on both productivity AND the bottom line — JOEY decided to approach plan management from a strategic perspective. Last year, Martin moved JOEY’s drug plan over to the Reformulary, an innovative managed plan, with remarkable results.

“Engaging plan members was an important part of changing our plan,” Martin said. “Our employees didn’t understand drug pricing. So we decided to do a Reformulary road show. We visited each restaurant to educate staff so they would understand how their preferred drug spend choices would help us all keep, or even improve, our existing coverage. It’s been smooth sailing ever since.”

By implementing Reformulary’s winning plan design, JOEY is optimizing the value of their drug investment dollar. “We’re now all on the same benefits page when it comes to drug coverage,” concludes Martin. “After all, everyone at JOEY wants the same thing — affordable and predictable drug coverage that allows for access to the right treatment at the right time.”