PBMI's Annual Drug Benefit Conference Moves to Las Vegas, Nevada -- February 18-20, 2013

PLANO, TX--(Marketwire - Jan 10, 2013) - The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (PBMI) is pleased to announce that it has moved the PBMI annual conference venue to Las Vegas, Nevada. The 18th Annual Drug Benefit Conference will be held at the MGM Grand Hotel February 18-20, 2013. Conference attendees will learn about best practices and strategies to help manage the traditional and specialty drug benefit. This year the conference features an opening keynote from an award-winning author, a Specialty 101 Pre-Conference Workshop, and 21 presentations (includes 15 breakout sessions) presented by industry experts.

"Recognizing that specialty drug benefits raise a new different set of challenges and complexities, at last year's conference, we introduced a full three-day Specialty program option that was very well received by attendees. This year we have implemented two Specialty program tracks in addition to a Traditional Pharmacy program for attendees to follow," said Brenda Motheral, Executive Director, PBMI. "We have expanded our agenda to also include a Specialty 101 Pre-Conference Workshop that will offer the opportunity for attendees to master the fundamentals of specialty drug management." 

Conference Highlights Include:

• Keynote Speaker - The conference will kick off with a thought-provoking keynote presentation by Robert Whitaker who will present on "The Effects of Psychiatric Medications." His newest book, "Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America," won the Investigative Reporters and Editors book award for best investigative journalism in 2010.
• Medical Specialty Management - The agenda includes more than half a dozen sessions on medical specialty management, including the critical topics of oncology and site of care management.
• Employer Case Study Presentations - Whirlpool, Walmart, and Vanderbilt are just some of the plan sponsor speakers that will be sharing findings from their specific experiences in pharmacy benefit management.
• Release of New Specialty Drug Forecast - Prime Therapeutics will unveil their new specialty trend forecast based on their extensive review of large integrated claims data and examination of specialty market trends.
• Specialty 101 Pre-Conference Workshop - This informative workshop will review the unique elements of specialty drug management and discuss best-practices in specialty management.
• Insightful Educational Sessions - Conference attendees can create their conference experience by choosing from 15 educational sessions spanning the specialty and traditional pharmacy benefit, including fraud, waste, and abuse (Continuing education credit available on select sessions).
• Daily Networking Opportunities - Conference attendees will have several opportunities to network and establish relationships with peers.

For Conference details view the Conference Program. 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.