Become A Certified Pharmacy Benefits Specialist

The CPBS training & certification includes knowledge that is critical to effective management of the pharmacy benefit and for those seeking to enter into the pharmacy benefits management industry. Each class concludes with a knowledge assessment test to help gauge student comprehension. Students are required to pass a comprehensive final exam with a score of 85% or better in order to qualify for the CPBS designation.

Pharmacy Benefit Managers will provide transparency and disclosure to a level demanded by the competitive market and generally rely on the demands of prospective clients for disclosure in negotiating their contracts. The best proponent of transparency is informed and sophisticated purchasers of PBM services. The purchaser needs to understand not only what they want to achieve in their relationship with their PBM but also the competitive market and their ability to drive disclosure of details on services important to them. Assessing transparency will be more effectively done by a trained eye with personal knowledge of the purchaser’s benefit and disclosure goals.

Employee Benefits

Enhance your candidacy – one out of two hiring managers prefer job applicants with CPBS training
Stay competitive in the workforce and raise your professional value
Network with other employee benefits professionals
No or low out-of-pocket costs; employer may pick up portion of the costs
Employer Benefits

Certified employees drive business goals through increased self-motivation and confidence
Uphold or gain competitive advantage in the marketplace because of the PBM mastery held by human capital
Internal career advancement for certified staff which reduces hiring and onboarding costs
Clients have more confidence in the results of certified staff

The simple answer is no for the eLearning option. The CPBS certificate course is designed to be completed around your work schedule and there is no travel involved. It is a virtual classroom with breakout sessions and on-demand recordings of live sessions in the event you’re unable to attend a session. Here are more details:

DATE : Every Thursday; live online classroom with on-demand recordings
TIME : 6 : 00 pm, Eastern Standard Time (New York, GMT-05:00)
DURATION : 1.5 hours per session – 8 sessions total
COURSE MATERIALS : Available online during the first day of class
EXAMS : Students must pass the final exam with a score of 85% or better

The cost for an individual registration is $2500 (effective 1/1/2024, the cost is $2750) for eLearning and $3500 for the Knowledge Camp (in-person) workshop. Since the employer may pick up all or a portion of the total cost, candidates for the CPBS designation should first check with their HR department or immediate supervisor prior to registering. Companies will save with volume pricing on multiple course enrollees. In this case, students can be trained all at once or separate over a two period. This is a great option if you expect turnover. Only one discount can be applied to each registration; discounts cannot be combined. Please send any questions or inquiries about group discounts to info@pharmacybenefitinstitute.com.

Anyone who “touches” the pharmacy benefit is a good candidate and will benefit from the CPBS designation. This includes but is not limited to:

• Human Resources Executives
• Agents, Brokers & Consultants
• Insurance Executives
• Benefits Specialists
• CEOs, Founders & Owners
• CFOs, Controllers and Directors of Finance
• Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians

Here is a summary of the courses being offered. Be sure to download the syllabus for more detailed information such as learning objectives.

• Week 1 : Introduction to Pharmacy Benefit Management
• Week 2 : Fundamentals of PBM Pricing
• Week 3 : Benefit Design for the Pharmacy Benefit
• Week 4 : Cost Containment Strategies for the Pharmacy Benefit
• Week 5 : PBM Procurement
• Week 6 : PBM Contracts
• Week 7 : Specialty Pharmacy Benefits Management
• Week 8 : Final Exam

• Gain deep knowledge in an industry competitors lack
• Significantly lower your client’s or organization’s pharmacy costs
• Get an edge in the competitive field of employee benefits
• Be recognized for evolving your skill set; become an expert!
• Win more clients with a unique specialization
• Virtual classroom option – no travel or missed work
• No or low out-of-pocket – Employer may pick up a portion of the cost
• Each session is recorded for on-demand viewing 24/7

The lead instructor is Tyrone Squires, CPBS and you can view his profile here. However, you should expect some highly qualified guest instructors including CPAs, attorneys and pharmacists who have vast experience in the PBM industry.

For the 8-week online Certified Pharmacy Benefits Specialist course, a refund of the course fee (less $100 for the eBook Training Guide) is afforded to all registered students up to 7 days upon the start of the enrolled course. If for any reason it’s not right for you, up to 7 days upon start of the course, just tell us and receive a refund (less $100 for the eBook Training Guide) of your course fee. On the 7th day, upon the start of the course, there are no refunds issued. If a course started on May 1, students would have through May 6 to receive a refund of their course fee (less $100 for the eBook Training Guide). On May 7, there would be no refund, for example. The eBook or training guide is made available for download 24 hours before the first class begins. For those groups who have registered for the in-person Knowledge Camp workshop, a 75% refund is afforded when canceling at least 45 days BEFORE the pre-training workshop begins. If canceling 44 days or less before the pre-training workshop begins there are NO REFUNDS.

The short answer is no. The $2500 fee for CPBL is a one-time fee. Once you certify or recertify as a CPBL, the CPBS certification is automatically renewed, provided you are in good standing, with no additional cost. Good standing means your current certification is active. The cost to recertify is $995 every two years.

Gold certified organizations are not required to re-certify any employee who holds a CPBS or CPBL designation in good standing. Bronze and Silver organizations will be required to recertify each employee who holds one of our designations. If at any point, the Gold designation lapses, each employee is required to recertify once their certification expires.

Submit a request for quote here.

Each course has a one-year time limit upon registration. Upon registration for the final exam, there is 30-day time limit to take the exam and submit your Capstone project. Otherwise, there is no time limit.

You must complete PBIA approved recertification by taking one (1) self-study course and one (1) ethics credit every two (2) year recertification cycle. Click here for more details.

Yes. You will receive an email notification 12 months before your CPBS certification expires.

We accept all major credit cards. Send a request to info@pharmacybenefitinstitute.com if you prefer an invoice.

After your records have been reviewed, verified and approved, your certificate will be sent to you in the mail. The review of your records is usually completed within two weeks after you request the certificate.

The CPBS designation was first available in 2014 and since then more than 750 students have taken the course.

You may register online by following this link: REGISTER HERE! If it is easier for you, simply email us the full name and email address for each attendee and we’ll complete the registration process on behalf of your group then follow up with an invoice.

Discounts are automatically applied upon registration and payment. If you are enrolling a group of 2 or more students, be sure to enroll them simultaneously or email us if payment is to be made separately.

• REAL EARLY BIRD : Complete registration at least 90 days before start of program and save $500!
• EARLY BIRD : Complete registration at least 45 days before start of program and save $250!
• DOUBLE BONUS : Register 2 to 10 team members at least 45 days before start of desired program and save $500 per student!
• TRIPLE BONUS : Register 11 or more team members to be trained all at once or in stages at least 45 days before start of desired program and save $750 per student!

Only one discount can be applied to each registration; discounts cannot be combined. If it is easier for you, simply email us the full name and email address for each attendee and we’ll complete the registration process on behalf of your group then follow up with an invoice.

Yes, however on the 8th day or later after the start of the course you are currently in, the full course registration fee would again apply to transfer your registration to a later course. If you decide to switch to a later course on the 7th day or sooner from the start of the course you are currently in, you are not charged any additional fees.

In some states it can take up to 90 days, after course completion, to get CE approved. Immediately upon registration it is the students responsibility to notify us at info@pharmacybenefitinstitute.com of your intent to apply for continuing education credit.

No, and the American College barely addresses pharmacy benefits. This is the first and only education program focused solely on pharmacy benefits from the payer side.

Pay online during registration and you’re all set. Let us know if you prefer to submit payment via invoice and we’ll get one emailed to you. One week prior to the start date all course materials will be emailed.