Pre-AEP guide for agents and agency owners
How to Collect Client Drug Lists Before AEP (Without Phone Tag)
Written by a Medicare agent with 32 years in the field.
A good Part D comparison starts with a complete drug list. The hard part is collecting hundreds of those lists before October 15 without turning September into a voicemail campaign. A repeatable pre-AEP process gives clients several easy ways to respond, gives staff one place to review what arrives, and leaves agent time for the decisions that require judgment.
Why drug lists become the bottleneck
Most of the information already exists, but it is scattered. One client has the pharmacy statement. Another has bottles on the kitchen counter. Another remembers the drug name but not the strength. The agency calls, leaves a message, receives a callback during another appointment, and writes a partial list that must be checked again.
The comparison cannot be trusted until the details are complete. A different strength can have a different formulary position. Quantity affects the yearly estimate. A preferred pharmacy can change the ranking. That means collecting the list is not a minor administrative task; it is the gate that every review has to pass through.
For a small book, an agent can manage that work from memory and an inbox. For a large book, the missing-list queue needs to be visible. A clear process should answer three questions at any moment: who was asked, who responded, and whose list still needs review.
What to collect from every client
Ask for the same minimum information every time. Consistency makes the list easier to verify and prevents a second round of calls after comparison work starts.
- Drug name, including the brand name when the client takes the brand product
- Strength, such as 20 mg or 5 mg
- Frequency, such as once daily or twice daily
- Quantity per fill and the number of days in the fill
- The pharmacy the client expects to use, plus an alternative if they are willing to change
- The current Part D plan, so staying can be compared with switching
Do not ask clients to translate the label into insurance language. A clear bottle photo or complete pharmacy statement is often more accurate than a drug name typed from memory.
Four common collection methods
No single method reaches every client. The best workflow offers a primary path that is easy to track and a fallback for clients who need help.
Phone calls
Works well because
- Familiar for clients who prefer to talk
- Questions can be answered immediately
Watch for
- Creates phone tag
- Names and strengths are easy to mishear
- Uses licensed or trained staff time before comparison work begins
Mailers
Works well because
- Reaches clients who do not use email
- Gives clients a physical reminder
Watch for
- Slow return cycle
- Handwriting can be difficult to read
- Lists arrive in separate envelopes and still need to be entered
Medicare.gov accounts
Works well because
- Keeps the comparison in the official Medicare system
- Useful when the client already maintains a current drug list there
Watch for
- Clients may not remember their account access
- The agent may still spend the call guiding each entry
- It does not create one agency-wide response queue
A secure link for typing or photos
Works well because
- Clients respond on their own schedule
- Exact drug-and-strength suggestions help typed entries, while bottle photos and pharmacy statements preserve label details
- An agency can track responses across the book
Watch for
- Some clients still need a reminder or a call
- Every extracted list should be reviewed before comparison
A practical agency often starts with the secure link, follows with one reminder, and reserves phone calls or paper forms for the smaller group that does not respond digitally. That removes phone tag without making the process inaccessible.
A step-by-step pre-AEP timeline
Start early enough to separate collection from enrollment. Drug-list preparation and comparison work can happen before AEP, but enrollment cannot begin before October 15.
1. Early September
Clean the client book. Confirm the agent owner, email address, mobile number, ZIP code, and preferred pharmacy. Remove duplicates and decide how the team will record every response.
2. Mid-September
Send the first drug-list request. Each client gets a private link where they can type medicines with exact drug-and-strength suggestions or snap a pill bottle, pharmacy statement, or handwritten note. Offer a call if needed.
3. Late September
Review delivery and response status. Resend failed messages, send a short reminder to clients who have not opened the request, and begin checking submitted lists for missing strengths or quantities.
4. October 1–7
Run comparisons for confirmed lists as plan-year data and your approved workflow allow. Separate complete files from records that need one question answered. Do not let an unclear dose hold up the rest of the book.
5. October 8–14
Prioritize the remaining non-responders and the clients whose drug lists or plans changed. Prepare results and conversations, but remember that enrollment cannot begin before October 15.
6. October 15
Begin enrollment activity for clients who are ready, following current CMS and carrier requirements. Keep the source list and comparison result together so the recommendation can be explained later.
Keep the workflow general and follow current CMS and carrier marketing, enrollment, and Scope of Appointment requirements for the conversations you conduct. Requirements can depend on the activity and channel, so use your agency's compliance guidance when a client interaction moves beyond collecting information and preparing a comparison.
How to handle clients who send nothing
Do not make every non-response an immediate agent call. First confirm that the message was delivered. Resend failed or unsent requests, then send one short reminder through the client's normal communication channel. A client who opened the request but did not finish may need a different prompt from one who never received it.
Next, prioritize. Start with clients who take several prescriptions, use expensive brand drugs, changed pharmacies, moved, or asked for a review. Clients with no medication changes may still need an annual check, but the agency can work the highest-need queue first.
Finally, give a simple fallback: reopen the private link to snap a pharmacy statement or pill bottles, or schedule a brief list-confirmation call. Record the outcome in the same queue so a paper response does not disappear into a desk pile.
Verify the list before comparing plans
Automation can remove retyping, but the confirmed list still matters. Before pricing, check each line against the source and make sure the drug name, strength, frequency, and quantity belong together. Confirm whether a brand name is intentional, remove stopped medicines, and keep allergies or prescriber notes out of the active prescription list.
Then confirm the ZIP, county when needed, current plan, and pharmacy. Compare total yearly cost rather than premium alone, and review formulary restrictions on important drugs. The client should confirm final details on Medicare.gov before enrollment.
How PDP Automation handles the book
The agent uploads the book, and PDP Automation emails each client a private, secure link from that agent while tracking each response. On the link, clients type medicines with exact drug-and-strength suggestions or snap a pill bottle, pharmacy statement, or handwritten note. The agent reviews an editable list instead of entering every drug from scratch.
Once confirmed, the list is priced against every stand-alone Part D plan in the client's county using official CMS data. The client and agent receive Match #1, Match #2, pharmacy costs, and a green button to the matched plan on Medicare.gov. Read more about the full Part D review software workflow, use the AEP checklist for Medicare agencies, or see how agencies automate AEP drug plan reviews.