Senator Shares Insight on Florida Physician Dispensing Legislation as First Guest of Progressive Medical's New SignatureSeries

WESTERVILLE, Ohio, Aug. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Progressive Medical announced today the debut of SignatureSeries, a new, in-depth educational series, with the first-hand perspective of Florida Senator Alan Hays' quest to change the way the state prices and reimburses medications dispensed by physicians.

During this inaugural edition of SignatureSeries, Hays shares how he artfully brokered a compromise to pass Senate Bill 662 earlier this year. This four-year effort to moderate physician-dispensed medications in the state received national attention, particularly because Florida had one of the nation's highest workers' compensation rates.

The recent conversation between Hays and Brian Allen, Progressive Medical's vice president of government affairs, was filmed at the senator's Umatilla office. During this powerful exchange, Hays walks Allen through the political process and offers thoughtful reflection of why the bill was so critical to payors and injured workers. He also provides insight on the value of political leverage and lends advice for other states looking to gain more control over escalating physician-dispensing costs.

"This was the right thing for employers, insurers and patients," Hays shared during SignatureSeries. "When you know that you did the right thing, you sleep well at night."

Florida has already seen a positive impact from the legislation, resulting in a lowered rate from the National Council on Compensation Insurance.

SignatureSeries is a conduit to share valuable insight on highly relevant topics such as pharmacy trends, regulatory efforts, legislative affairs, clinical innovations and other forces that impact the workers' compensation industry. Conversations, panels and roundtables offered through a multimedia approach using video, webinar and audio mediums as well as white papers and presentations will capture the expertise of the selected industry leaders and key stakeholders.

"We work hard to build relationships with stakeholders throughout our industry, and we're very fortunate to work with knowledgeable and passionate individuals like Senator Hays," said Tommy Young, co-chief executive officer of Progressive Medical. "Senator Hays' persistence and ability to bring opposing sides together is commendable. With such a visible role on a significant issue, he was a logical choice to be our first guest."

When asked to share advice for other state legislators looking to navigate the political process to do what's best for their constituents, Hays said, "We must embrace the principles of compromise without compromising our principles."

View the conversation and engage with SignatureSeries by visiting www.progressive-medical.com/signatureseries.

About Progressive Medical
Progressive Medical is a workers' compensation PBM whose responsibility is to make a difference. By combining the best aspects of PBM and third-party billing programs with evidence-based clinical programs, advanced clinical analytics, proactive government affairs and operational excellence, the company is accelerating change in the industry and evolving the traditional payor-PBM relationship. Visit www.progressive-medical.com to learn more.

About SignatureSeries
SignatureSeries is an in-depth multimedia forum through which industry leaders share valuable insight on highly relevant topics such as pharmacy trends, regulatory efforts, legislative affairs, clinical innovations and other forces that impact the workers' compensation industry. Conversations, panels and roundtables offered through a multimedia approach using video, webinar and audio mediums as well as white papers and presentations will capture the expertise of the selected industry leaders and key stakeholders. For more information, visit www.progressive-medical.com/signatureseries.

SOURCE Progressive Medical