SmithRx Brings Prescription Drug Cost Intelligence Into Benefits Navigation Through Transcarent Partnership

• Integration gives employees real-time prescription cost estimates, side-by-side pharmacy comparisons, and lower-cost alternatives, while giving employers visibility into drug spend before it becomes a claim

• SmithRx's modern PBM model delivers what pharmacy cost control requires: an AI-powered platform to find the lowest-net-cost path, direct pharmacy contracts to route it, and clinical and member support to make it actionable

SAN FRANCISCO, June 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- SmithRx, a modern pharmacy benefits manager (PBM), today announced an integration with Transcarent, the One Place for Health and Care™, that brings SmithRx's prescription drug cost intelligence and execution model into Transcarent's WayFinding™ experience. The partnership reflects a broader shift in employer benefits: navigation is moving beyond helping people find care and toward helping them make decisions that can change cost, access and outcomes in real time. By connecting SmithRx's Drug Pathways Engine with Transcarent's AI-powered health and care platform, the integration brings prescription drug decisions into the same experience employees use to understand benefits, find care, and take action.

For employers, prescription drugs remain one of the hardest parts of the health benefit to predict, explain, and control. A medication can be clinically appropriate and still be filled through a higher-cost path because the lower-cost option is not visible, easy to understand, or simple to act on. For employees, that shows up as confusion at the pharmacy counter, uncertainty about what a prescription will cost, and extra work to figure out whether another pharmacy, drug option, or savings program could lower the price. The result is a system where lower-cost options may exist, but too often do not become lower drug spend.

As the PBM, SmithRx has a direct role in how prescriptions move from doctor to pharmacy to claim. Its Drug Pathways Engine uses AI-powered technology, pricing data, plan rules, pharmacy information and clinical criteria to check each prescription for a lower-net-cost option appropriate for the member's care. Sometimes the answer is the same drug at a different pharmacy. Sometimes it is a generic, biosimilar, therapeutic alternative, home delivery option, or savings program.

Because SmithRx works through a directly contracted pharmacy network, it can connect those recommendations to specific pharmacy options, and plan-specific pricing and routing within the member's actual benefit. SmithRx can then pair the recommendation with clinical review to help confirm the lower-cost path is appropriate for the member's care, along with support for outreach, prescription transfers, provider coordination, forms, and copay assistance. Lower-cost medication decisions become easier to act on because SmithRx can find the option, confirm it makes clinical sense, and help the member complete the fill.

Integrations, like the one with Transcarent, are simple with SmithRx because of its platform-based pricing. Every SmithRx client gets the exact same price for a given medication, making it easy to bring transparency and net pricing to the forefront. This stands in contrast to legacy and other pass-through models where the price of a medication varies by client making it nearly impossible to simplify the experience.

"Employers have been asked to accept a pharmacy system where the numbers are hard to see, the incentives are hard to trust, and lower-cost options too often never become real savings," said Jake Frenz, CEO and Founder of SmithRx. "For employers using SmithRx through Transcarent, pharmacy can become part of the same consumer-grade front door people use to navigate health and care. SmithRx provides the pharmacy intelligence and execution: the technology to identify the lowest-net-cost, clinically appropriate path, the network to route it, and the support to help the member complete the fill. This is how lower drug prices become lower drug spend."

Through the integration, SmithRx will surface medication guidance inside Transcarent's WayFinding experience, where members go to understand benefits, find care, and take the next step. The integration also enables real-time pharmacy adjudication data to trigger personalized guidance tied to a member's broader benefits ecosystem—not just pharmacy benefits alone. For example, a member filling an antidepressant prescription could be proactively connected to relevant mental health resources, such as EAP programs, virtual behavioral health support, or care navigation services available through their employer-sponsored benefits. For employers, the combined model connects prescription drug decisions to the same health and care experience employees use for broader navigation, making medication cost, access, and benefit utilization easier to address within a unified experience.

"By integrating SmithRx into Transcarent's WayFinding platform, we're creating more meaningful opportunities for engagement at the moments when Members need support most," said Snezana Mahon, PharmD, President at Transcarent. "The combination of real-time pharmacy insights and personalized navigation can help Members better understand their options, connect to relevant benefits and resources, and take more confident next steps in their care journey. For employers, it creates a more connected experience that can improve benefit utilization, strengthen engagement, and support better health outcomes across the broader healthcare ecosystem."

For employers, the integration is designed to connect medication decisions more directly to pharmacy spend. SmithRx has reported average pharmacy benefit savings of more than 20% and average per member per month (PMPM) savings of $37 across its client base, with individual results varying by group, population, and utilization.

About SmithRx

SmithRx is a modern PBM dedicated to reducing the cost and complexity of pharmacy benefits. The company empowers organizations of all sizes to take control of their pharmacy spend with a radically transparent, universal pass-through model, innovative cost-saving programs, and intuitive technology. Unlike legacy PBMs, SmithRx eliminates hidden fees, passes through 100% of rebates and discounts, and provides real-time prescription pricing and detailed savings reports. This gives clients the insights they need to make informed decisions and achieve meaningful savings for both their business and their employees. Experience the difference transparency, trust, and fairness can make in building a more equitable healthcare system. Learn more at www.smithrx.com.

About Transcarent

Transcarent makes it easy for people to access high-quality, affordable care with the WayFinding^® platform, powered by agentic AI. Transcarent brings medical, pharmacy, and point solution benefits together in one experience — including transparent pharmacy care, 2nd.MD expert medical opinions, virtual primary care, centers of excellence, and specialized support for cancer and weight health. More than 1,700 employers and health plans trust Transcarent to support 21 million Members with a better experience, more access to quality care, and lower costs. Learn more at transcarent.com and follow Transcarent on LinkedIn.

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SOURCE SmithRx