CAMARILLO — The Ventura County Medi-Cal Managed Care Commission (VCMMCC) directed staff to prepare an agenda item for an upcoming special meeting formally rejecting all current bids received for the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) Request for Proposals (RFP) process.
Commissioners want to be more active in the selection process and want RFP responses to include greater detail on the proposers’ plans to work with local pharmacies, including discussion regarding the 340B drug pricing program.
The decision to reject all current bids was due in part to the VCMMCC’s concern that chief executive officer Dale Villani’s attendance at two of the three interviews raised potential conflict of interest issues. Mr. Villani owned some shares in Magellan, one of the companies that had submitted a proposal.
Mr. Villani did not attend the interview with Magellan. There was no evidence that Mr. Villani’s participation in the two other interviews had any effect on the scoring or outcome of the RFP; however, in an abundance of caution, the commissioners felt it was in the Plan’s best interest to reject all bids and restart the process.
At the same meeting, the VCMMCC approved an extension of the contract with Script Care LTD., the current provider, to allow more time to complete the RFP process.