What Good Looks Like
A strong PBM contract should not be defined by what a vendor says is “standard.” It should be measured against clear, enforceable terms and real agreements already in the market. Start here to see what good actually looks like.
Three issues to read first.
What Good Looks Like
Transparency, pass-through economics, and fiduciary alignment should not be marketing claims. They can be defined, measured, and compared against a clear contract standard.
READ THE ISSUE →Built to a Different Standard
What dozens of PBM agreements reveal when every contract is scored provision by provision against the same fiduciary benchmark.
READ THE ISSUE →We Scored Mark Cuban’s Contract
A real model agreement scored against the same standard as every other PBM contract shows that contracts clearing 90 are not theoretical. They already exist.
READ THE ISSUE →Go deeper on contract quality and the standard.
The Language That Moves the Market
See model terms for audit, carve-out, and termination rights that move the conversation from identifying problems to fixing them.
Stop Signing Stupid Contracts
Some of the most expensive contract provisions are the ones that are missing entirely. Silence can be a contractual decision too.
The Contract Provisions That Fail Most Often
See where ordinary PBM agreements most consistently fall short when measured against a fiduciary-grade benchmark.
You Can’t Negotiate What You Can’t Compare
Benchmarking changes the negotiation by replacing “standard terms” with evidence of what other employers are already getting.
Zero Out of Thirty
Audit language shows how provisions that appear reasonable can fail when measured against the rights a fiduciary actually needs.
The Two Words That Do Not Mean What You Think
“Pass-through” and “rebates” only mean what the contract definitions say they mean.
It Means Just What I Choose It to Mean
Favorable-looking language can still fail when definitions, exclusions, and obligations are drafted against the plan.
6 Weeks To Set The Next 3 Years
The 90 Standard turns “good” into a practical procurement requirement: do not sign a contract scoring below 90.
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