At SmithRx, we’ve been consistent about our place in the pharmacy benefits industry. Legacy PBMs built a black box designed to profit off complexity, hidden spreads, and misaligned incentives. To combat this, we built a modern, platform-based PBM to dismantle that box and get plans and members the lowest net cost and best clinical outcome, period.

To do that, we spent years creating specialized savings and access programs that include a broad range of things like biosimilar access, pharmacy partnerships, and specialty drug savings programs. Internally and to our clients, we bundled these under the name Connect 360.

But as our technology has advanced, that name doesn't really tell the whole story anymore.

Moving forward, we are changing our terminology. We’re retiring the Connect 360 name and folding everything into what it actually is: Drug Pathways, powered by our Drug Pathways Engine.

Here is exactly what this change means for you, your plan, and your members (spoiler: it’s all good news).

1. We're matching our language to our reality

We didn't change what we do; we changed the words we use to describe it.

Every time a doctor writes a prescription, that drug can take multiple routes to reach a patient. Legacy PBMs intentionally steer members down the most expensive, high-list-price routes because it inflates their bottom line.

Our technology does the exact opposite. It intercepts every single claim in real time and scans the landscape for alternative pathways, like a lower-cost cost-plus pharmacy, a newly launched biosimilar, or a patient assistance program. These pathways take into account not only price, but member convenience and ease of accessing the treatments they depend on.

Calling this suite Drug Pathways just makes sense. It clearly reflects the heavy lifting our engine is already doing behind the scenes: dynamically routing every claim to the most efficient, cost-conscious pathway accessible for members.

2. Zero friction for brokers and employers

If you’re a broker or an employer working with us, you won't feel a thing. This is an evolution of terminology, not a shift in our business model or clinical rigor.

You still get the exact same industry-leading pass-through transparency, the same 100% pass-through on rebates, and the same robust data access. The exact same clinical logic you trust to lower your pharmacy spend is completely intact; it just has a clearer name.

3. The member experience: Invisible tech, high-touch humanity

Here’s the most important piece of the puzzle: Just because we route every claim through our Drug Pathways Engine doesn't mean the member has to navigate a complicated workflow.

For the vast majority of claims, this optimization happens seamlessly and instantly at the pharmacy counter. A member walks in, presents their card, and gets their medication. They won't see the engine working under the hood, and they don't need to.

But what happens when our engine flags a massive savings opportunity that does require a change, like switching to a clinically appropriate biosimilar or moving a script to a partnering mail-order pharmacy?

We don't just dump a notification on the member and expect them to figure it out. Innovation without empathy is not what helps us drive results. When a lower-cost pathway is found, our team of patient advocates, who are still called the Connect Team, takes over. We hold the member’s hand from start to finish: connecting with their doctor, handling the paperwork, and managing the logistics so their care isn't interrupted. 

The member gets lower out-of-pocket costs, better clinical outcomes, and genuine human support, while the health plan sees meaningful savings.

Looking Ahead

Pharmacy benefits shouldn't require a decoder ring. By shifting our vocabulary to Drug Pathways, we’re making it easier for employers, brokers, and members to see exactly how our platform works for them, not against them.

We’re going to keep pushing the envelope, dismantling legacy games, and finding the lowest net cost and best clinically-informed outcome for every claim. We’re just calling it what it is now.

As the head of marketing, your feedback on how this lands or what questions you have matters to me. If you’re interested in sharing your feedback about whether this terminology resonates, feel free to reach out and let me know via email <vidya_drego@smithrx.com> or on LinkedIn.

Want to see how the Drug Pathways Engine finds hidden savings in your pharmacy data? Let’s talk.