For agencies

Cutting data-entry costs in a Medicare agency

Drug plan reviews are paid for in wages. Before buying anything, work out what one review costs you today and which four minutes of it are worth paying a person for.

Where the hours go

Chasing the medicine list

Calls, voicemails, and callbacks to collect something the client already has in their hand. This is usually the largest single block of time and none of it is skilled work.

Typing prescriptions

Names, strengths, and quantities entered by hand from photos, printouts, or notes. Slow, and the place where errors turn into wrong recommendations.

Re-checking pharmacies

The same drug list priced again at preferred retail, standard retail, and mail order because the first pass only checked one.

Walkthrough calls that were not needed

Clients who were perfectly able to enroll themselves still occupying a calendar slot because there was no clean way to hand them the result.

How to measure your cost per review

  1. 1Time ten real reviews end to end, from first contact to enrolled, and take the median.
  2. 2Multiply by the loaded hourly cost of whoever does the work, including seasonal help and overtime.
  3. 3Multiply by the number of reviews in one enrollment season.
  4. 4Separate the number into chasing, typing, pricing, and calls — that tells you which part to automate first.
  5. 5Re-measure after a change so the saving is a figure, not a feeling.

What comes off the payroll

Reviews done by hand commonly take 20 to 30 minutes of staff time each, while a confirmed automated review is measured in seconds. These figures describe the two workflows and are not a guarantee of results for any particular agency.

Important notice

RxPlanMatch is not a government website and is not Medicare.gov. Costs shown are estimates for comparison based on the official plan files loaded into the system. For every available plan, visit Medicare.gov, call 1-800-MEDICARE, or contact your local SHIIP or SHIP office.

Time ten reviews against ten free comparisons.

Start free

More reading: the AEP checklist for agencies and Part D software for agents and agencies.