Impact of pharmacist-driven referral to increase specialty pharmacy prescription capture

PURPOSE

To assess the impact of a clinical pharmacy specialist (CPS) embedded within a rheumatology clinic at a large academic medical center on the prescription capture rate at the health-system specialty pharmacy.

METHODS

Initially low prescription capture rates for the health-system specialty pharmacy led to the integration of a CPS in the main campus rheumatology clinic. Benchmarking was completed by assessing the prior prescription capture rate using electronic medical record analytics and Loopback Analytics (a database of prescription capture for the health-system specialty pharmacy). The existing workflows for both the rheumatology clinic and specialty pharmacy were observed with regard to biologic medication ordering and processing. Strategies for an updated workflow for biologic ordering with the incorporation of an embedded CPS in the rheumatology clinic were designed. This new workflow was established with key stakeholders, including the CPS, rheumatology providers, clinic staff, and pharmacy technicians. Once the workflow was established, all parties were educated and updated, including rheumatology providers, nursing staff, and specialty pharmacy staff. Prescription capture rate was monitored on a monthly basis.

RESULTS

Prescription capture increased from 13.16% before pharmacist implementation (October to December 2021) to 35.42% after pharmacist implementation (October to December 2022) (P = 0.019). During the same periods, the revenue generated increased from $43,222.89 to $135,198.70 (P = 0.224) and the proportion of prescriptions initially sent to the health-system specialty pharmacy compared to other specialty pharmacies increased from 37% to 79% (P < 0.001) with CPS implementation.

CONCLUSION

Expansion and implementation of pharmacy services by integrating a CPS in a rheumatology ambulatory clinic increased prescription capture and pharmacy revenue while optimizing patient care. We hope to expand similar CPS services to other clinics within the health system.

Health-system specialty pharmacist intervention types, acceptance, and associated actions for patients with multiple sclerosis

PURPOSE

Health-system specialty pharmacy (HSSP) pharmacists play an integral role in the care of patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) by facilitating medication access, providing counseling, improving adherence, and decreasing provider workload. However, current literature detailing pharmacist interventions and their acceptance rates in this population is limited. The purpose of this study was to identify the types and acceptance rate of clinical interventions completed by pharmacists for PwMS.

METHODS

To evaluate the acceptance rate of HSSP pharmacist interventions, we conducted a retrospective, multicenter, observational, descriptive study for the period from October 2019 to August 2022. Intervention types were categorized into reasons for intervention, recommendations from the pharmacists, and their acceptance rates.

RESULTS

For 225 patients enrolled in HSSP services, 449 interventions were completed, with an average of 2.0 interventions per patient. Most interventions identified were associated with medication adherence (28.7%), medication regimen (27.6%), adverse drug reaction (ADR) (20.7%), and laboratory values (15.1%). The average adherence, defined by the proportion of days covered, was 94%. The most common recommendations were to continue therapy (14.9%), schedule laboratory tests (12.7%), and follow up with providers (11.8%). Recommendations had an acceptance rate of 85.3%, with 3.8% of recommendations declined and 10.9% requiring follow-up with providers.

CONCLUSION

Pharmacists impact patient outcomes through the completion of clinical interventions that improve adherence, identify medication regimen problems, manage ADRs, and coordinate proper laboratory testing. Pharmacist recommendations were most often accepted for interventions related to medication regimen and ADRs. Proper identification and management of medication regimen concerns, as well as tolerability of medications, can positively impact adherence and improve overall patient outcomes.

Impact of a health-system specialty pharmacy on time to upadacitinib initiation

DISCLAIMER

In an effort to expedite the publication of articles, AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.

PURPOSE

Upadacitinib has been found to improve symptoms as early as day 1 in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. As a result, early and timely initiation of upadacitinib is paramount to prevent hospital admission for an acute flare. The purpose of this study was to identify the time to initiation of upadacitinib, comparing external specialty pharmacies (ESPs) to a health-system specialty pharmacy (HSSP).

METHODS

This was a single-center, retrospective study at the University of Chicago Medicine (UCM) Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center and included patients initiated on upadacitinib between March 1, 2022, and April 1, 2023. Data collected included demographics, prior authorization information, appeal information, insurance type, date the prescription was sent, and date the patient initiated therapy (patients were called to confirm the date). The primary outcome evaluated was the days from prescribing to patient initiation. Secondary outcomes included the total time to initiation and the time to notification from insurance regarding determination of a prior authorization or appeal. Patients were excluded if they were lost to follow-up, initiated therapy through alternative means, or had previously initiated upadacitinib.

RESULTS

A total of 107 patients were initiated on upadacitinib during the study period (n = 18 through the UCM HSSP, n = 89 through an ESP). The median number of days to patient initiation was 3 days (interquartile range, 3-6 days) for the UCM specialty pharmacy vs 9 days (interquartile range, 4-13 days) for ESPs (P = 0.003). A total of 88.9% of patients filling through the UCM specialty pharmacy initiated upadacitinib within 7 days, compared to 47.2% of patients filling through an ESP (P = 0.001). Seven patients needed earlier initiation of therapy to prevent hospital admission.

CONCLUSION

This study validates the ability of HSSPs to initiate therapies earlier than ESPs with a particular focus on upadacitinib.

Evaluation of the impact of a health-system specialty pharmacy patient management program on achieving predefined clinical outcome measures

PURPOSE

Specialty medications often have high costs, pose difficulties with payor approval, and require additional monitoring. Earlier articles have defined various examples of clinical outcome measures (COMs); however, goals and benchmarks have not been well defined, and a gap in the literature exists. This study evaluated the effectiveness of our health-system specialty pharmacy (HSSP) patient management program (PMP) in achieving predefined COM goals.

METHODS

Disease state protocols were developed within the HSSP, and clinical and adherence goals were created for each COM based on primary literature. This retrospective, single-center review examined outcomes and adherence data on patients enrolled in the PMP during 2022. The primary outcome was the number of predefined disease state COM goals met. Secondary outcomes included the number of predefined adherence goals met and annual financial impact.

RESULTS

Of 1,431 patients whose records were reviewed, 1,053 met criteria for inclusion. The primary outcome analysis showed that 85% (33 of 39) of the predefined disease state goals were met. Predefined adherence goals were met, with an average proportion of days covered (PDC) for all specialty medications of >90%. The PMP yielded $5,167,043 in direct patient cost savings and $167,260 in cost avoidance.

CONCLUSION

The PMP yielded positive results in meeting goals set for the COMs in the disease states managed within the HSSP. COMs will remain a focus for HSSPs to help patients achieve desired clinical outcomes and HSSPs adhere to accreditation standards. More research in this field and standardization of COM goals may benefit the larger HSSP community.

Health-system specialty pharmacy: Overview of a hybrid clinical model

PURPOSE

The prevalence of specialty pharmacies has grown, especially within the hospital setting. These pharmacies have shown benefits in the areas of patient education and adherence, financial support, and patient and provider satisfaction. Currently, there are gaps in literature describing use of a hybrid clinical model in health-system specialty pharmacies.

SUMMARY

The UofL Health - UofL Hospital Specialty Pharmacy (UofL Health SP) is attached to a retail pharmacy in a larger health system. Pharmacists in the UofL Health SP utilize a hybrid clinical model in which they split their time between working in a specialty clinic and staffing in the specialty pharmacy. The specialty pharmacy and its oncology satellite pharmacy each have a primary staffing pharmacist, and 5 other pharmacists participate in this hybrid clinical model. In addition to the specialty pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and patient care advocates support the operations of the specialty pharmacy and ensure financial access to medications for patients.

CONCLUSION

With the hybrid clinical model at UofL Health SP, there is increased workflow efficiency and better communication between specialty clinics and the specialty pharmacy, which results in a streamlined patient experience. Additionally, there has been an increase in specialty pharmacy prescriptions dispensed in the specialty pharmacy since the implementation of this hybrid clinical model.

Individual and Community-Level Characteristics and Adherence to Specialty Medications

Background: Understanding risk factors for nonadherence can help specialty pharmacies optimize resources to prevent nonadherence and inform risk-stratification processes. Objective: To determine which individual and community-level characteristics are associated with nonadherence to specialty medications. Methods: We analyzed a cohort of patients enrolled in a prospective randomized controlled trial having filled a specialty medication at least 4 times in the previous 12 months with a proportion of days (PDC) covered < 0.90. We collected patient age, gender, race, medication administration type, therapy start date, home address, insurance type, and online patient portal status from the electronic health record. An ordinal logistic regression model was used to assess the association of nonadherence with individual and community-level patient characteristics. Results: Most patients were female (68%), white (82%), and held commercial insurance (58%) with a median age of 53 (interquartile range [IQR] 40, 64) years. Patients were mostly from the adult rheumatology (35%), multiple sclerosis (20%) and lipid (17%) clinics. Given a 10-year increase in age, patients had lower odds of having lower PDC (odds ratio [OR] = 0.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.71-0.94, P = 0.005). Patients on therapy greater than or equal to 1 year had half the odds of having lower PDC relative to patients on therapy less than 1 year (OR = 0.52, CI = 0.35 - 0.75, P < 0.001). No statistically significant associations were found between PDC and gender, race, insurance type, route of administration, clinic type, patient portal status, median income, percent receiving government assistance, or percent with no health insurance. Conclusion: Patients with younger age and shorter duration on treatment may be at-risk for lower adherence. Specialty pharmacies may benefit from targeting adherence interventions to these groups.

Assessment of long-term medication adherence with cystic fibrosis: An integrated approach

INTRODUCTION

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder that creates a multisystem pathology resulting in complex treatment regimens. In 2014, 43% of people with CF at an academic medical center experienced medication acquisition barriers. The creation of an integrated specialty pharmacy with an embedded CF team pharmacist was launched in 2016. In addition to filling specialty medications, this specialty pharmacy filled all patient medications through a service called total care pharmacy (TCP). This service was hypothesized to positively impact medication adherence.

METHODS

Adherence analysis was performed by utilizing the proportion of days covered (PDC). PDC was analyzed during years 1, 2, and 3 of therapy. PDC was calculated for medications with at least three fills during each year. Patients with PDC less than 80% were considered nonadherent and underwent manual chart review to identify a documented reason for nonadherence.

RESULTS

Patients in the first year of dornase alfa therapy had significantly higher adherence in the TCP cohort compared to non-TCP (81.3% PDC vs. 66.0%; p = .006), which was largely driven by adult patients (73.3% vs. 56.5% for pediatric). Analysis of other medications and groups did not yield statistically significant differences. Many patients who had been classified as nonadherent had valid clinical reasons that explained gaps in therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

When filling medications at a specialty pharmacy integrated within the academic medication center, dornase alfa adherence was higher in the TCP group. Further studies comparing TCP with services offered by pharmacies external to the health system would better characterize the impact of TCP services.

Provision of ambrisentan from a health-system specialty pharmacy affiliated with a pulmonary hypertension Center of Comprehensive Care

PURPOSE

This descriptive report describes the process used to obtain access to providing ambrisentan from a health-system specialty pharmacy (HSSP) affiliated with a pulmonary hypertension Center of Comprehensive Care, develop a pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) care team at the HSSP, and characterize medication adherence and access metrics.

SUMMARY

PAH is a rare disease treated with several specialty medications requiring intensive monitoring. Historically, specialty medications used to treat PAH have been provided by only select specialty pharmacies due to restricted drug distribution channels. It is recommended that patients with PAH receive their care at centers with expertise in the diagnosis and management of this disorder, but the HSSPs at these expert centers are unable to provide specialty PAH medications. The current care model for PAH leads to patients receiving their medical and pharmaceutical care from separate entities. This descriptive report describes a multidisciplinary team's approach to gaining access to providing ambrisentan and developing a disease state care team within an established HSSP. After implementing this service, specialty pharmacy metrics were assessed, including proportion of days covered (PDC), time to first fill, patient contact rate, Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) program compliance, time to prior authorization (PA) approval, rate of optimal adherence (PDC of >80%), and PA renewal rate, to demonstrate a proof-of-concept HSSP model for PAH. In this model, the HSSP was able to demonstrate high-quality specialty pharmacy metrics with regard to medication adherence, medication access, and REMS program compliance.

CONCLUSION

The development of a PAH care team to provide ambrisentan at an existing HSSP was associated with high adherence rates, efficient and reliable medication access, and REMS program compliance.

ASHP Survey of Health-System Specialty Pharmacy Practice: Practice Models, Operations, and Workforce - 2022

PURPOSE

The results of the 2022 American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Survey of Health-System Specialty Pharmacy (HSSP) Practice: Practice Models, Operations, and Workforce are presented.

METHODS

A total of 273 leaders in HSSPs were contacted by email to complete a survey hosted using Qualtrics. The survey sample was compiled from ASHP member lists, the presence of a specialty pharmacy indicated in previous ASHP surveys, and outreach to ASHP member organizational leaders.

RESULTS

The survey response rate was 35.9%. Most HSSPs dispense 30,000 or fewer specialty prescriptions annually. Most respondents have an annual revenue of $100 million or less, are part of a 340B-covered entity, operate one location, have 1 to 2 specialty pharmacy accreditations, dispense both nonspecialty and specialty medications, and employ an average of 15.5 pharmacists and 17.6 technicians. The majority (66.7%) dispense 50% or less of prescriptions written by internal providers due to payor and manufacturer network restrictions. Over one-third employ nonpharmacist and nontechnician professionals. Specialty pharmacists are involved in treatment decisions and therapy selection before prescription generation (69.8%), and 47.7% of respondents report pharmacists operating under collaborative practice agreements. Most (82.6%) offer experiential or formal education in specialty pharmacy. The top point of pride remains patient satisfaction and level of service. Top challenges include access to payor networks, the ability to hire and retain qualified staff, and shrinking reimbursement from payors.

CONCLUSION

The HSSP is a continually maturing integrated advanced practice model focused on providing patient-centric care to all patients and employees of the health system regardless of network status. HSSPs are raising the standards for quality in specialty pharmacy care.

Effect on medication adherence of applying a specialty pharmacy care model to nonspecialty medications: A quasi-experimental cohort study

PURPOSE

Medication nonadherence is a multifactorial healthcare problem that contributes to increased healthcare costs and morbidity. To improve medication adherence, specialty pharmacies offer services not typically provided by retail pharmacies such as benefits investigation, financial assistance, medication synchronization, and proactive refill reminders. This study assessed the impact of the specialty pharmacy care model on medication adherence for patients on nonspecialty medications.

METHODS

This study was a quasi-experimental cohort comparison of patients who were transferred from a health-system retail pharmacy to a health-system specialty pharmacy between April 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021. The primary endpoint in this study was the difference in mean medication adherence proportion of days covered (PDC) between the post-transfer and pretransfer periods. Secondary outcomes included the proportion of patients with PDC of greater than 80%, medication adherence by drug group, shipment volumes, number of medications per shipment, and the mean copay per medication.

RESULTS

In this study of 163 patients, use of a specialty pharmacy care model led to a significant increase of 7.0% in mean PDC, a significant increase in the percentage of patients with PDC of greater than 80%, a significant decrease in the number of shipments per 30 days per patient, a significant increase in the number of medications included per shipment, and a significant reduction in the mean copay per medication.

CONCLUSION

The findings in this study suggest that the application of the specialty pharmacy care model to nonspecialty pharmacy patients may improve medication adherence, decrease the number of shipments per patient sent from the pharmacy, and reduce patient copays.

Specialty pharmacy interventions benefit patients receiving HIV post-exposure prophylaxis

BACKGROUND

Specialty pharmacies service many different complex disease states that require high-cost medication, including the treatment of patients prescribed HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). PEP requires time-sensitive initiation and patient counseling for therapeutic efficacy.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to examine all PEP referrals received at a specialty pharmacy and demonstrate how they aided in interventions including assisting in obtaining financial assistance, making clinical interventions, and offering counseling to patients.

METHODS

This is an observational retrospective chart review of patients who received PEP from one specialty pharmacy. All patients that filled PEP at the pharmacy between January 1st, 2017-July 1st, 2022, were included. Information was collected from documentation provided in the electronic medication record utilized by the pharmacy. The PEP regimen prescribed were raltegravir (RAL) + emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (FTC/TDF) and dolutegravir (DTG) + emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (FTC/TDF).

RESULTS

A total of 52 patients were treated with PEP during the measurement period. Patients who received a PEP regimen of RAL + FTC/TDF experienced a total cost-savings of $1,692.60 and $218.40 for those who were fully insured and uninsured, respectively. Patients who received a PEP regimen of DTG + FTC/TDF experienced a total cost-savings of $676.20 and $2,725.50 for those who were fully insured and uninsured, respectively. Counseling by a pharmacist was offered to all patients and 74.5% of patients accepted. Pharmacists made clinical interventions on 29.4% of PEP referrals.

CONCLUSION

PEP medications are expensive, time-sensitive, and can require clinical interventions and specific patient counseling. This study indicates that specialty pharmacies can provide and ensure access to care in the areas of financial assistance, patient counseling, and clinical interventions.

Preparing for the market entry of adalimumab biosimilars in the US in 2023: A primer for specialty pharmacists

PURPOSE

The impact of the market entry of adalimumab biosimilars on clinical practices and specialty pharmacies is explained. A roadmap is also provided for how pharmacists can successfully navigate this landscape.

SUMMARY

Biosimilars have previously been introduced as a mechanism to help curb biologic expenditures, with biosimilars undergoing an abbreviated regulatory approval process that focuses on biosimilarity and generating product competition. Adalimumab is currently the leading product in the biologics market, generating approximately $20 to $30 billion in sales worldwide consecutively from 2019 to 2021. Many adalimumab biosimilars are slated to enter the market in 2023 and become available for patient use. However, compared to other biosimilars, adalimumab biosimilars have several unique considerations, such as interchangeability and concentration, that will impact pharmacy practices and workflows. Because pharmacists embedded in clinical practices and specialty pharmacies will be significantly involved in the processes relating to adalimumab biosimilar implementation, adoption, and use, a primer on understanding the various adalimumab biosimilar products available and considerations surrounding these products with regard to workflow and patient use is critical. Several resources are also provided to help pharmacists successfully navigate the adalimumab biosimilar landscape.

CONCLUSION

The biosimilar landscape continues to evolve, and 2023 will see the launch of several adalimumab biosimilar products, which vary with regard to formulation, concentration, and interchangeability status. Pharmacists are well positioned to educate providers and patients about this landscape and help implement an efficient workflow to support adalimumab biosimilar adoption and use.

Review of Dual Biologics in Specialty Pharmacy Practice

OBJECTIVE

To describe and review the published evidence on use of multiple biologics within specialty pharmacy practice.

DATA SOURCES

A search of PubMed and Embase was conducted from October 2021 through September 2022. Keywords included biologics for immune-mediated conditions along with the terms "dual," "add-on," and "combination."

STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION

All human studies in the English language were considered. Published abstracts, case reports, case series, randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses were included.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Although evidence is limited, there are published meta-analyses of combined biologic use within gastroenterology and rheumatology. There are also numerous case reports within dermatology. Clinical trials of dual biologics for severe rheumatologic conditions and inflammatory bowel disease are in progress. Existing evidence for use in pulmonology and allergy suggest dual biologic therapy can be safe and effective, but data are limited. Literature describing use of monoclonal antibodies for other overlapping conditions is lacking.

RELEVANCE TO PATIENT CARE AND CLINICAL PRACTICE

This article reviews the evidence describing combination biologic use and outlines remaining knowledge gaps. It also describes the essential role that specialty pharmacists play in managing therapeutic mAbs.

CONCLUSIONS

High-quality evidence describing combination biologic use is limited and long-term safety data are lacking. Pharmacists should utilize their specialized training to assess appropriateness of therapy, provide patient counseling and monitor for safety and efficacy.

Navigating Access and Optimizing Medication Infusions in an Academic Medical Center: A Quality Improvement Study

(1) Background: The rising prices of medical infusions have resulted in the increased utilization of policies for payors to manage costs. These policies can be disruptive to the continuity of care, and health systems should develop a systematic strategy to address market changes and prevent patient leakage. (2) Methods: A quality improvement study was conducted by an interdisciplinary workstream to assess the current state of infusion services in an academic medical center in the Midwest and to provide recommendations for immediate access improvement and long-term system planning. An organizational assessment of the value stream was completed, which analyzed the available infusion capacity, billing strategy, patient mix/volumes, payor mix, staffing levels, and current policies. The interventions implemented after developing the infusion system strategy were triaging patients to the appropriate site of care to increase infusion capacity and eliminating paper orders in one of the health system's Infusion Centers. (3) Results: Patients receiving medical infusions for oncologic conditions warrant unique considerations in evaluating the Infusion Center's efficiency due to the infusion regimen's length, complexity, and tolerability. The management of the payor site of care also poses a challenge for health systems to triage patients effectively without fragmenting care. (4) Conclusions: An organizational strategy around infusion services must include broad stakeholder representation to address the clinical, operational, and financial challenges to provide timely care to patients.

2022 ASHP Survey of Health-System Specialty Pharmacy Practice: Clinical Services

PURPOSE

Results of the first ASHP national survey of clinical services provided by health-system specialty pharmacies (HSSPs) are presented.

METHODS

A survey questionnaire was developed by 26 HSSP contacts after reviewing available literature on the role and services of HSSPs. After pilot and cognitive testing resulting in a final questionnaire of 119 questions, a convenience sample of 441 leaders in HSSPs was contacted using email and invited to participate in the survey.

RESULTS

The survey response rate was 29%. Almost half of respondents (48%) had offered pharmacy services for 7 years or more, and most (60%) dispensed more than 15,000 prescriptions annually. Respondents most commonly (42%) reported a specialist model wherein staff are dedicated to specific specialty disease states. Over half of respondents reported providing several medication access, pretreatment assessment, and initial counseling services to patients referred to them, regardless of whether the HSSP was used for medication fulfillment. All HSSP activities were noted to be documented in the electronic health record and visible to providers frequently or always. Almost all respondents noted that HSSP pharmacists have a role in specialty medication selection. Disease-specific outcomes were tracked in 95% of responding HSSPs, with 67% reporting that outcomes were used to drive patient monitoring. HSSPs were often involved in continuity of care services such as transitions of care (reported by 89% of respondents), referral to other health-system services (53%), and addressing social determinants of health (60%). Most respondents (80%) reported providing clinical education to specialty clinic staff, including medicine learners (62%). Though only 12% of respondents had dedicated outcomes research staff, many reported annually publishing (47%) or presenting (61%) outcomes research.

CONCLUSION

HSSPs are a clinical and educational resource for specialty clinics and have developed robust patient care services that encompass the patient journey from before specialty medication selection through treatment monitoring and optimization.

Implementation and results of a standardized process for identifying ambulatory pharmacy clinical outcome measures

PURPOSE

Given the variation in clinical practice, a clinician-centric, standardized process to implement and validate clinical pharmacy outcome measures was developed.

SUMMARY

Four specialty clinics with embedded clinic-based pharmacists underwent an iterative process to define, refine, and implement the build of electronic health record functionality for outcome measure data collection and reporting. Starting with a list of identified measures, clinic workgroups met to discuss each measure and identify gaps in measure implementation. Information technology experts created electronic documentation forms with discrete data and reports based on criteria specified by the clinic workgroups. Of 32 outcome measures identified as priorities for demonstrating pharmacists' impact in previous research, 29 were implemented for routine monitoring through this project. Implementation strategies included identification through existing reporting, development of discrete documentation tools within the electronic health record, and development of new reporting tools from available discrete data fields. Time to implementation decreased from the first to the last pilot clinic implementation, as demonstrated through a 9-day reduction in electronic documentation form development and 31-day reduction in report development turnaround time.

CONCLUSION

A standardized and reproducible process was developed for the implementation of clinical pharmacy outcomes measures for 4 specialty clinics. The process was successfully utilized to develop measurable outputs for a variety of oncology and nononcology specialty disease states based upon multidisciplinary stakeholder input.

Implementation of an integrated ambulatory care pharmacist collaborative care workflow model in specialty clinics in a large academic health system

PURPOSE

Ambulatory care and specialty pharmacy practices are rapidly growing in tandem with the accelerated development of advanced therapies for complex disease states. A coordinated and standardized interprofessional team-based approach is critical to providing high-quality care to specialty patients on complex, expensive, and high-risk therapies. Yale New Haven Health System dedicated resources to the creation of a medication management clinic under a unique care model that integrates ambulatory care pharmacists within specialty clinics who coordinate with centralized specialty pharmacists. The new care model workflow encompasses ambulatory care pharmacists, specialty pharmacists, ambulatory care pharmacy technicians, specialty pharmacy liaisons, clinicians, and clinic support staff. The strategies employed to design, implement, and optimize this workflow to meet the increasing demand for pharmacy support in specialty care is discussed.

SUMMARY

The workflow incorporated key activities from highly diverse existing specialty pharmacy, ambulatory care pharmacy, and specialty clinic practices. Standard processes were developed for patient identification, referral placement, visit scheduling, encounter documentation, medication fulfillment, and clinical follow-up. Resources were created or optimized to support successful implementation, including an electronic pharmacy referral, specialty collaborative practice agreements to facilitate pharmacist-led comprehensive medication management, and a standardized note template. Communication strategies were developed to facilitate feedback and process updates. Enhancements focused on eliminating documentation redundancies and delegating nonclinical tasks to a dedicated ambulatory care pharmacy technician. The workflow was implemented in 5 ambulatory rheumatology, digestive health, and infectious diseases clinics. Pharmacists utilized this workflow to complete 1,237 patient visits, serving 550 individual patients over 11 months.

CONCLUSION

This initiative created a standard workflow to support an interdisciplinary standard of specialty patient care that is robust to accommodate planned expansion. This workflow implementation approach can serve as a road map for other healthcare systems with integrated specialty and ambulatory pharmacy departments undertaking similar models for specialty patient management.

Role and Impact of a Clinical Pharmacy Team at an Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center

Background

There is limited literature describing the role of a clinical pharmacy team within a tertiary academic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) center. The goal of this paper is to describe and showcase the clinical and operational impact of an integrated clinical pharmacy team.

Methods

This was a retrospective study evaluating the referral outcomes for all patients referred to University of Chicago Medicine Specialty Pharmacy for self-administered advanced IBD therapies covered by prescription insurance from October 1, 2020 to October 31, 2021.

Results

A total of 1800 referrals were received for advanced IBD therapies. Prior authorizations (PAs) were required and submitted for 1700 referrals. Of those 1700 PA submissions, 297 (17%) were denied by insurance. To overturn the denials, 344 appeals, including second-level appeals and external reviews, were submitted. Manufacturer patient assistance programs were obtained for 69 patients. From the 1800 referrals, 98% of patients were successfully started on the intended therapy. Clinically, there were 2141 pharmacist-initiated interventions by 2 IBD pharmacists. The most common interventions were prevention in interruption of therapy and providing patient education.

Conclusions

Clinical pharmacy teams are well positioned to streamline care within a tertiary academic IBD center. Their unique skillset and ability to provide high yield medication access supports the use of this model as a best practice in IBD centers.

Development and implementation of a standardized process for identifying ambulatory pharmacy clinical outcomes measures

PURPOSE

There is minimal available guidance on the process for selection of clinical outcomes measures to demonstrate the impact of clinic-based pharmacists (CBPs) despite an increased need and desire for outcomes data. The overall aims of this project were to (1) develop a standardized process for identifying clinical outcomes measures impacted by CBPs and (2) identify and prioritize potential clinical outcomes measures to track for CBPs within 4 specialty clinic pilot sites.

METHODS

To develop a standardized process for identification and prioritization of measures, 4 consecutive Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles were performed with 4 different specialty clinics serving as pilot sites. Following each pilot cycle, rapid cycle improvements were implemented. A modified Delphi methodology served as the framework for measure selection and included gathering expert stakeholder insights regarding importance, feasibility, and validity of potential measures. Measures were identified via environmental scan of existing validated quality metrics, clinical guidelines, and other relevant literature.

RESULTS

The primary outcome for this project was the development and refinement of a standardized process for measure identification and prioritization. The secondary outcome was narrowed and ranked lists of stakeholder-prioritized measures for 4 CBP-embedded pilot specialty clinics. These lists included 12 cardiothoracic transplant, 6 breast oncology, 9 neurology, and 7 gynecologic oncology measures.

CONCLUSION

The measure identification and prioritization process developed was successfully utilized to identify and prioritize outcomes measures to track for 4 CBP-embedded specialty clinics. Due to the successful use of the process in a variety of specialty clinics, the standardized process has significant potential for expansion.

Implementation of telehealth for first-dose device teaching within a health-system specialty pharmacy

PURPOSE

To demonstrate how the integration of a pharmacist-led, telehealth-based first-dose device teaching (FDDT) workflow helped to improve the efficiency of the work system, expand access, and maintain the high quality of care.

SUMMARY

The telehealth program was designed utilizing existing specialty pharmacy infrastructure and a partnership with a dermatology clinic. The program includes patients receiving a self-injectable specialty medication (SISM) who require an FDDT and fill with our health system's specialty pharmacy. Patients complete a virtual FDDT with a specialty pharmacist following an initial pharmacist consult and medication shipment. Patient experience and program feedback were captured via a standardized 5-point Likert telephone survey. A total of 30 patients completed the FDDT program. Surveys following the FDDT visit completed by 19 patients showed that patients had high satisfaction with the quality and convenience of the telehealth visit (4.53 and 4.79, respectively). Overall care and education received from the pharmacist was also rated highly (5.00). Notable feedback captured in free responses emphasized the helpfulness of the pharmacist and the convenience of the visit. Areas to improve focused on technology difficulties.

CONCLUSION

As SISMs continue to grow in utilization, telehealth services should be considered as part of the clinic workflow. Specialty pharmacists delivered high-quality and convenient care to patients through this patient education program. Expansion of this program into additional clinics may help improve specialty care access and increase the availability of nursing staff for additional clinical needs.

Impact of specialty pharmacy collaboration with rheumatology clinics to improve the achievement of treat-to-target goals in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a pilot study

In rheumatoid arthritis, the use of Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 3 (RAPID3) assessments to meet treat-to-target goals is endorsed by the 2021 American College of Rheumatology guidelines. In November 2020, the Baylor Scott & White specialty pharmacy implemented a new service that included more frequent collection of RAPID3 scores and standardized provider communication for patients co-managed by a Baylor Scott & White rheumatology clinic. The objective was to evaluate the impact of this new service on rheumatoid arthritis disease activity. Before the new service started, patients followed a protocol of RAPID3 assessments that occurred every 6 months; once the service began, patients were followed using an algorithm in which patients with higher disease activity were contacted more frequently. Eighty-six percent of patients in the pre-intervention group (n = 7) compared with 100% of patients in the post-intervention group (n = 10) had high to moderate disease activity at baseline. Within a 6-month follow-up period in both groups, the percentage of high to moderate disease activity patients decreased by 30% in the post-intervention group and remained the same in the pre-intervention group. These results support the positive impact increased specialty pharmacy services may have on clinical outcomes; therefore, the continued expansion of these services should be considered.

Health-system specialty pharmacy role and outcomes: A review of current literature

DISCLAIMER

In an effort to expedite the publication of articles, AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.

PURPOSE

Specialty medications can have life-altering outcomes for patients with complex diseases. However, their benefit relies on appropriate treatment selection, patients' ability to afford and initiate treatment, and ongoing treatment optimization based on patient response to therapy. Mounting research demonstrates the benefits of the health-system specialty pharmacy (HSSP) in improving specialty medication access, affordability, and outcomes. The purpose of this rapid review is to describe the currently reported role and function of HSSP pharmacists and outcomes reported with use of the HSSP model, and to identify gaps in the literature where more information is needed to better understand the HSSP model and outcomes.

SUMMARY

Current literature describes the role of HSSP pharmacists in facilitating patient access, affordability, and initiation and maintenance of specialty medications. Though it is clear HSSP pharmacists are involved in treatment monitoring, often through utilizing the electronic health record, more information is needed to elucidate the frequency, method, and extent of monitoring. Despite several valuable continuity of care services reported to be provided by HSSPs, the breadth and degree of standardization of these services remains unclear. There is minimal literature describing HSSP education and research involvement. HSSPs have reported significant benefits of this patient care model, as demonstrated by higher adherence and persistence; better clinical outcomes; financial benefits to patients, payers and the health system; better quality of care; higher patient and provider satisfaction with services, and highly efficient specialty pharmacy services. More literature comparing clinical and diagnosis-related outcomes in HSSP versus non-HSSP patients is needed.

CONCLUSION

HSSPs provide comprehensive, patient-centered specialty medication management that result in improved care across the continuum of the specialty patient journey and act as a valuable resource for specialty clinics and patients beyond medication management. Future research should build on the current description of HSSP services, how services affect patient outcomes, and the impact HSSP network restrictions.

A new perspective: Practice-enhancing publications about the ambulatory care medication-use process in 2020

DISCLAIMER

In an effort to expedite the publication of articles related to the COVID-19 pandemic, AJHP is posting these manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.

PURPOSE

This article identifies, prioritizes, and summarizes published literature on the ambulatory care medication-use process (ACMUP) from calendar year 2020 that can impact ambulatory pharmacy practice.

SUMMARY

The medication-use process is the foundational system that provides the framework for safe medication utilization within the healthcare environment and was reimagined to focus on new innovations and advancements in ambulatory pharmacy practice. The ACMUP is defined in this article as having the following components: transitions of care, prescribing and collaborative practice, accessing care, adherence, and monitoring and quality. Articles evaluating at least one step of the ACMUP were assessed for their usefulness toward practice improvement. A PubMed search covering calendar year 2020 was conducted in January 2021 using targeted Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) keywords and the table of contents of selected pharmacy journals, providing a total of 9,433 articles. A thorough review identified 65 potentially practice-enhancing articles: 14 for transitions of care, 19 for prescribing and collaborative practice, 10 for adherence, 6 for accessing care, and 16 for monitoring and quality. Ranking of the articles for importance by peers led to the selection of key articles from each category. The highest-ranked articles are briefly summarized, with a mention of why each article is important. The other articles are listed for further review and evaluation.

CONCLUSION

It is important to routinely review the published literature and to incorporate significant findings into daily practice. This article is the first to define and evaluate the currently published literature pertinent to the ACMUP. As healthcare continues to advance and care shifts to ambulatory settings, the ACMUP will continue to be a crucial process to evaluate.

Virtualization and standardization of a health-system specialty pharmacy call center

DISCLAIMER

In an effort to expedite the publication of articles related to the COVID-19 pandemic, AJHP is posting these manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.

PURPOSE

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic provided an opportunity to change how health-system specialty pharmacy (HSSP) call center operations are organized. This article describes the steps taken to virtualize the current operations of a specialty pharmacy services call center and evaluate the impact.

SUMMARY

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the normal provision of healthcare necessitated that HSSPs drastically modify existing procedures to both accommodate the expectations of staff and overcome the many barriers to care being experienced by patients. To fully understand and improve upon the workflow processes of an HSSP call center, a combination of qualitative feedback from patients, quantitative claims data, and quality metrics was evaluated. This project was divided into 3 phases: phase 1 (baseline) from July 2020 through August 2020, phase 2 (implementation) from September 2020 through December 2020, and phase 3 (analysis) from January 2021 through March 2021. Phase 1 included baseline review of workflow. Phase 2 encompassed development of new standard operating procedures (SOPs), making critical decisions to promote virtual capabilities of staff, and collaboration with team members to increase efficiency of current workflow. During phase 3, an evaluation of operational and service-related metrics was conducted to determine the impact of phase 2 workflow changes. Optimization of the specialty pharmacy call center allowed for staff members to transition to remote work to minimize exposure risk and prioritize the safety of patients and team members.

CONCLUSION

The call center team was able to transition to fully remote operations, implement new SOPs, and undergo significant workflow changes to optimize performance while still maintaining all call center metric goals and without increased complaints from patients or errors. This approach allowed for added staff value and safety and improved organization during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prescription cannabidiol for seizure disorder management: Initial drug-drug interaction management by specialty pharmacists

DISCLAIMER

In an effort to expedite the publication of articles related to the COVID-19 pandemic, AJHP is posting these manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.

PURPOSE

To describe the presence, type, and management of drug-drug interactions (DDIs) at prescription cannabidiol (CBD) therapy initiation.

METHODS

We conducted a single-center, retrospective study of patients prescribed CBD from a medical center's neurology clinic for seizure management from January 2019 through April 2020. Patients were excluded if they were enrolled in a CBD clinical trial or the insurance approval or medication fulfillment process was not completed by the center's specialty pharmacy. The primary outcomes were the numbers, types, and management of DDIs identified at the time of CBD prescribing.

RESULTS

Of the 136 patients included, 109 (80%) had a DDI identified at baseline. Of the 260 DDIs, 71% (n = 184) were pharmacodynamic and 29% (n = 76) were pharmacokinetic in nature. Management of the 260 DDIs detected included counseling only (89% [n = 232 interactions]), discontinuation of the interacting agent [9% (n = 22 interactions]), and dosage change for the interacting agent [2% (n = 6 interactions]). Clobazam was the most commonly identified interacting medication (n = 63, 24%), while valproic acid accounted for 10% (n = 26) of the DDIs. The population was predominantly white (n = 115, 85%), 18 years of age or younger (n = 92, 68%), and had an indication for prescription CBD treatment of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (n = 117, 86%).

CONCLUSION

This study provides new information on the role that integrated specialty pharmacists can play in identifying and managing initial DDIs in patients starting prescription CBD.

Evaluation of a remote hybrid staffing model for ambulatory clinical pharmacists in a pediatric health system during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose

To describe and quantify patient care activities performed by ambulatory clinical pharmacists supporting medical specialty clinics in a pediatric health system utilizing a hybrid staffing model during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Methods

Five ambulatory clinical pharmacists, integrated within a health-system specialty pharmacy (HSSP), utilized a web-based data collection tool to record time spent performing patient care activities over a 2-week period. Work location (onsite or offsite) of the pharmacist was reported for each activity. Activities were classified as direct or indirect patient care. Direct patient care activities were subcategorized as telemedicine appointments, in-person clinic appointments, HSSP call center work, medication access support, electronic medical record consults, and previsit planning/postvisit documentation. Administrative tasks and precepting were considered indirect patient care activities.

Results

A total of 1,190 activities were completed, with 77% of all activities performed offsite. Direct and indirect patient care activities accounted for 871 (73.2%) and 319 (26.8%) of total activities, respectively. No activity took longer for the pharmacists to complete offsite versus onsite.

Conclusion

Using a hybrid staffing model employed by a pediatric health system, ambulatory clinical pharmacists were able to efficiently provide a high volume of direct patient care activities even when working offsite. Rapid adaptation and implementation of telemedicine services was critical for pharmacists to continue to provide essential services within pediatric medical specialty clinics.

Proportion of days covered as a measure of medication adherence

In an effort to expedite the publication of articles , AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.

Turning differentiation into value: How health-system specialty pharmacies can align to an outcomes-focused mission

In an effort to expedite the publication of articles related to the COVID-19 pandemic, AJHP is posting these manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.

ASHP National Survey of Health-System Specialty Pharmacy Practice-2020

PURPOSE

Results of the first ASHP National Survey of Health-System Specialty Pharmacy Practice are presented.

METHODS

A sample of 230 leaders in health-system specialty pharmacies were contacted by email and invited to participate in a survey hosted using an online survey application. The survey sample was compiled from ASHP member lists, through review of data from other ASHP surveys indicating the presence of specialty pharmacies, and by outreach to ASHP member organizational leaders.

RESULTS

The response rate was 53.0%. Most health-system specialty pharmacies dispense 30,000 or fewer specialty prescriptions per year, have an annual revenue of $100 million or less, are part of an entity eligible to participate in the 340B Drug Pricing Program, operate 1 specialty pharmacy location, have at least 1 specialty pharmacy accreditation, dispense nonspecialty medications in addition to specialty medications, and employ an average of 13 pharmacists and 15 technicians. More than two-thirds of health-system specialty pharmacies (68.8%) dispense no more than half of the prescriptions written by their providers due to payer network restrictions or limited distribution drugs. The health-system specialty pharmacy practice model includes access to the electronic health record (100% of respondents), pharmacists and technicians dedicated to specific clinics (64.9% and 57.7%, respectively), specialty pharmacist involvement in treatment decisions and drug therapy selection prior to the prescription being written (64.9%), and documenting recommendations and progress notes in patients' electronic health record (93.4%). Most health-system specialty pharmacies (83.3%) offer experiential or formal education in specialty pharmacy. Top challenges that survey respondents expected to face in the next year included restricted access to payer networks and limited distribution drugs, 340B Drug Pricing Program changes, and shrinking reimbursement from payers.

CONCLUSION

The health-system specialty pharmacy represents an integrated advanced practice model that incorporates specialty medication-use management across the continuum of care.

Evaluation of a specialty hepatitis C virus telephone pharmacy service

PURPOSE

Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) used to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are associated with significant drug-drug interactions (DDIs). Pharmacists are well positioned to identify and mitigate these DDIs. Data to guide assessment of the impact of HCV specialty pharmacy services on identifying and addressing DDIs with DAAs are lacking. The overall purpose of the study described here was to determine the incidence and severity of DDIs identified by specialty pharmacists among patients treated with DAAs prior to and 1 month into therapy.

METHODS

An observational, retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the impact of specialty pharmacy services in mitigating DDIs associated with use of DAAs. Adult patients with HCV infection (n = 200) who received DAAs and were enrolled with a specialty pharmacy service over a 1-year period were included. Endpoints included number, severity, and type of DDIs and DDIs per patient at baseline and 1 month into therapy, pharmacists' interventions, and safety and clinical outcomes.

RESULTS

Fifty-nine percent of patients had at least 1 DDI. A total of 170 DDIs were identified (137 at baseline and 33 at 1-month follow-up), and the mean number of DDIs per patient significantly decreased from baseline to 1-month follow-up (from 1.38 to 0.16, P < 0.0001). The rate of "potentially clinically significant" or "critical" interactions was significantly lower at 1-month follow-up vs baseline assessment (69.6% vs 81.7%, P < 0.0001). The most commonly identified DDIs involved acid suppressive medications (49.6% and 66.6% of DDIs at baseline and follow-up assessment, respectively) and cardiovascular medications (26.2% and 21.2%, respectively). Total number of DDI interventions was 131, with an acceptance rate of 85%. Most common intervention was patient education and monitoring.

CONCLUSION

Approximately 60% of patients had DDIs with DAAs. Implementing HCV specialty pharmacy services significantly decreased DDIs while maintaining SVR12.

Decoding gene therapy: Current impact and future considerations for health-system and specialty pharmacy practice

PURPOSE

To provide health systems with baseline knowledge on existing and pipeline gene therapy treatments, including considerations that health-system pharmacies and specialty pharmacy programs may reference when evaluating and implementing services around gene therapies.

SUMMARY

Advancements in research and biotechnology have recently led to the development and launch of the first commercially available gene therapy treatments in the United States. These treatments have the ability to significantly alter and even effectively cure diseases. Alongside these significant advances and clinical benefits, these therapies present unique challenges due to their cost and complexity. Given the large number of additional gene therapy treatments that are currently in late-stage clinical development, stakeholders across the healthcare industry must increasingly adapt and ready themselves to meet these challenges. The diagnosis and treatment of patients with diseases being targeted by gene therapies largely occurs within health systems, and judging by the gene therapy pipeline, this trend is likely to continue. To prepare for these novel treatments, health systems must understand and consider the methods in which gene therapies are developed, procured, reimbursed, administered, and monitored.

CONCLUSION

The future of health-system pharmacy practice must include comprehensive gene therapy services and stakeholder engagement strategies to ensure patients have access to these life-changing treatments.

Development, implementation, and evaluation of a health outcomes and research program at an integrated health-system specialty pharmacy

PURPOSE

Health-system specialty pharmacies (HSSPs) provide high-quality, efficient, and collaborative care to patients receiving specialty therapy. Despite proven benefits of the integrated model, manufacturer and payer restrictions challenge the viability and utility of HSSPs. Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy developed a health outcomes and research program to measure and communicate the value of this model, drive improvement in patient care delivery, and advocate for recognition of HSSP pharmacists' role in patient care. The purpose of this descriptive report is to describe the development and results of this program.

SUMMARY

The health outcomes and research program began as an initiative for pharmacists to evaluate and convey the benefits they provide to patients, providers, and the health system. Early outcomes data proved useful in communicating the value of an integrated model to key stakeholders and highlighted the need to further develop research efforts. The department leadership invested resources to build a research program with dedicated personnel, engaged research experts to train pharmacists, and fostered internal and external collaborations to facilitate research efforts. As of March 2021, the health outcomes and research program team has published 33 peer-reviewed manuscripts, presented 88 posters and 7 podium presentations at national conferences, and received 4 monetary research awards. Further, the program team engages other HSSP teams to initiate and expand their own health outcomes research in an effort to empower all HSSPs in demonstrating their value.

CONCLUSIONS

The health outcomes and research program described has pioneered outcomes research among HSSPs nationwide and has proven valuable to specialty pharmacists, the health system, and key specialty pharmacy stakeholders.

A framework for graduate and postgraduate specialty pharmacy training

Disclaimer

In an effort to expedite the publication of articles related to the COVID-19 pandemic, AJHP is posting these manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.

Purpose

There is a growing need for specialty pharmacy leaders within integrated delivery networks (IDNs). Traditional training for students and residents has not met the demand for pharmacy leaders in this space. This article describes the partnership between UW Health (UWH) and the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy (UWSOP) in developing a specialty pharmacy elective course at UWSOP and in creating a postgraduate residency training program at UWH. Future directions for the partnership are discussed.

Summary

Members of the leaderships of UWH and UWSOP met to discuss expanding coursework related to specialty pharmacy business fundamentals at UWSOP. This meeting led to the development of a 2-credit elective course beginning in spring 2017. The course focused on marketplace economics, channel strategies, and specialty pharmacy practice development. Additionally, UWH identified the need to provide postgraduate training to meet the increasing demand across IDNs for specialty pharmacy leaders. The residency program was initiated in 2013 and received accreditation in 2016. The residency provides experience in specialty pharmacy leadership, managed care, finance, the revenue cycle, accreditation, and the supply chain. Future partnership opportunities include creation of a longitudinal student pharmacist track and joint project coordination between UWSOP students and UWH residents.

Conclusion

This partnership has provided a pathway for students to gain expertise in specialty pharmacy business fundamentals as well as postgraduate training opportunities for future specialty pharmacy leaders. IDN and school of pharmacy partnerships can expand educational opportunities for future specialty pharmacy leaders and help fulfill the market gap in specialty pharmacy leaders.

Expanding nonclinical roles in specialty pharmacy: How to grow a high-performance specialty pharmacy team

In an effort to expedite the publication of articles related to the COVID-19 pandemic, AJHP is posting these manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.

Specialty pharmacist integration into an outpatient neurology clinic improves pimavanserin access

Introduction

Access to pimavanserin, the only Parkinson disease–related psychosis treatment approved by the FDA, is restricted by insurance requirements, a limited distribution network, and high costs. Following initiation, patients require monitoring for safety and effectiveness. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate impact of specialty pharmacist (SP) integration on time to insurance approval. Additionally, we describe a pharmacist-led monitoring program.

Methods

This was a single-center, retrospective study of adults prescribed pimavanserin by the neurology clinic from June 2016 to June 2018. Patients receiving pimavanserin externally or through clinical trials were excluded. Pre- (June 2016 to December 2016) and post-SP integration (January 2017 to June 2018) periods were assessed. Proportional odds logistic regression was performed to test association of approval time with patient characteristics (age, gender, insurance type) postintegration. Interventions were categorized as clinical care, care coordination, management of adverse event, or adherence.

Results

We included 94 patients (32 preintegration, 62 postintegration), 80% male (n = 75) and 96% white (n = 90) with a mean age of 73 years. Median time to approval was 22 days preintegration and 3 days postintegration. Higher rates of approval (81% vs 95%) and initiation (78% vs 94%) were observed postintegration. Proportional odds logistic regression suggested patients with commercial insurance were likely to have longer time to approval compared with patients with Medicare/Medicaid (odds ratio 7.1; 95% confidence interval: 1.9, 26.7; P = .004). Most interventions were clinical (51%, n = 47) or care coordination (42%, n = 39).

Conclusion

Median time to approval decreased postintegration. The SP performed valuable monitoring and interventions.

Adherence to cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulators: analysis of a national specialty pharmacy database

BACKGROUND

There have been significant advances in Cystic Fibrosis (CF) treatment, with the introduction of Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) modulators. Adherence is an important goal for CF management, as nonadherence is linked to poor health outcomes.

OBJECTIVE

To calculate the medication adherence in patients taking CFTR modulators using a national specialty pharmacy database.

METHODS

This retrospective observational cohort study utilized de-identified specialty pharmacy data from September 2017 to August 2018 to assess medication adherence for three CFTR modulators: ivacaftor, lumacaftor/ivacaftor, and tezacaftor/ivacaftor & ivacaftor. The primary outcome was proportion of days covered (PDC) for each medication, with mean PDC values compared across age groups and insurance characteristics. All analyses were performed using the SAS 9.4 University Edition (SAS Institute, Cary, NC).

RESULTS

A total of 2,548 patients were analyzed, including 1,289 (50.59%) patients on lumacaftor/ivacaftor, 784 (30.77%) on ivacaftor, and 475 (18.64%) on tezacaftor/ivacaftor & ivacaftor. The mean PDC value for all CFTR modulators was above 0.80. Tezacaftor/ivacaftor & ivacaftor had the highest overall PDC of 0.92, while PDC values for both lumacaftor/ivacaftor and ivacaftor were 0.84. Children/adolescents on lumacaftor/ivacaftor (p = 0.0001) and tezacaftor/ivacaftor & ivacaftor (p = 0.001) had significantly higher mean PDC values compared to adults but not for ivacaftor (p = 0.3744). No statistical differences were seen in PDC across insurance characteristics.

CONCLUSION

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the adherence of three CFTR modulators using a large nationwide specialty database. With high acquisition costs of CFTR modulator therapies, there is a need to improve rates of adherence in patients with CF.

Patient Preferences For Specialty Pharmacy Services: A Stated Preference Discrete-Choice Experiment in China

Objectives: To survey, analyze, and ascertain the preferences for specialty pharmacy services among patients requiring complex care and to provide evidence to support specialty pharmacy service decision-making in China.

Methods: To identify essential service attributes and levels, a review of the literature, discussions with specialty pharmacy managers and a pilot questionnaire were conducted. A D-efficient fractional factorial design was used to generate the discrete-choice experiment (DCE) questionnaire. A face-to-face survey of patients with chronic illness and their families or friends was conducted at three specialty pharmacies in Chengdu and Qingdao, China. A mixed logit model was used for estimation.

Results: Six relevant attributes were identified and incorporated into the DCE questionnaire. A total of 417 participants completed the survey (mean age 43 years, 45.1% males), and 32.1% had lung cancer. The conditional relative importance showed that the most critical attribute was “frequency of telephone follow-up to monitor adverse drug reactions (ADRs), “followed by “mode of drug delivery,” “provider of medication guidance services,” and “availability of medical insurance consultation”; the least important attribute was “business hours.” A 1 min increase in time spent led to a 0.73% decrease in the probability that a service profile would be chosen. Negative preferences were noted for ADR monitoring by telephone follow-up once a year (β = −0.23, p < 0.001) and business hours [8:30–20:00 (Monday to Friday), 8:30–17:30 (weekend)] (β = −0.12, p < 0.001). Compared with women, men had a higher preference for service monitoring ADRs once every 3 months.

Conclusions: Preference measurements showed that “frequency of telephone follow-up to monitor ADRs” had the most critical impact on decisions, followed by “mode of drug delivery.” Specialty pharmacies in China need to take these findings into account to improve their design to increase uptake and patient loyalty.

Impact of Pharmacy Type on HIV Viral Suppression: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Cohort Study

Background

People with HIV (PWH) use various pharmacy types beyond traditional local pharmacies. Some specialized pharmacies offer additive adherence services such as refill reminders, expedited delivery, and adherence packaging.

Methods

This single-center, retrospective cohort study evaluated the impact of pharmacy type on the gain or loss of HIV viral suppression (VS; HIV RNA ≤50 copies/mL). Patients (≥19 years) were categorized by VS and pharmacy type: HIV-specialized (additive adherence/delivery services) vs traditional (without adherence/delivery services). Fisher exact tests examined the effect of pharmacy type on differences in VS between years, and logistic regression models identified possible predictors of gaining or losing VS.

Results

During 2017–2018, no differences were observed for the gain or loss of VS across pharmacy types (VS gain vs continued viremia, P = .393; VS loss vs continued VS, P = .064). Predictors for the gain of VS included antiretroviral therapy adherence as percentage of days covered (PDC; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.05; P < .001) and Federal Poverty Level 100%–138% (FPL; aOR, 0.17; P = .032). Predictors for the loss of VS included use of protease inhibitor (aOR, 2.85; P = .013), ≥1 other illicit substance including tobacco (aOR, 2.96; P = .024), PDC (aOR, 0.95; P < .001), FPL 139%–200% (aOR, 0.09; P = .031), and CD4 >200 cells/ccm (aOR, 0.19; P = .013).

Conclusions

The gain or loss of VS among PWH in this retrospective cohort was not impacted by pharmacy transitions within the 2-year study period. However, PDC, FPL, illicit substance use, protease inhibitor use, and CD4 >200 cells/ccm were identified as factors associated with changes in VS.

Evaluation of a Pharmacist Led Oral Chemotherapy Clinic: A Pilot Program in the Gastrointestinal Oncology Clinic at an Academic Medical Center

Oral chemotherapy represents a major patient-centric advancement in therapy convenience. However, ownership of safe and correct administration of these agents requires significant patient education. To address this challenge, an in-person pharmacist-led oral chemotherapy education clinic in gastrointestinal oncology patients within an academic medical center was created and assessed. In this pilot program, a medication-specific quiz was administered to patients before and after education performed by a pharmacist to assess patient understanding of their new oral chemotherapy. A five-question satisfaction survey was also administered at the conclusion of the pharmacist clinic visit. Primary outcome was the percentage difference between pre-and post-education quiz scores. Secondary outcomes included patient satisfaction, time to treatment initiation, and number of pharmacist interventions. Frequencies and medians were used to describe categorical and continuous variables, respectively. Of the 18 patients analyzed, 50% were male and median age was 59.5 years. Approximately 28% had colon cancer, and 61% were treated with capecitabine. The median post-education scores improved from a pre-education score of 75% to 100%. Overall, seventeen of the eighteen patients responded with “strongly agree” to all satisfaction survey statements. An in-person oncology pharmacist-led oral chemotherapy education session demonstrated an improvement in patients’ understanding of their new oral chemotherapy treatment.

Outcome Evaluation of a Subcutaneous Immunoglobulin Clinical Management Program

Objective:

The aim of this study is to compare clinical and cost outcomes of patients undergoing subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIG) therapy who were managed by a clinical management program to the matched controls in the United States.

Methods:

This was a retrospective cohort study using administrative claims data from the PharMetrics Plus™ (PMTX+) database. The patients from a high-touch SCIG clinical management program were matched to nonprogram patients in PMTX+ database using 1:4 propensity score matching without replacement. All patients were followed for 1 year during the study from September 1, 2011, to June 30, 2014, and both clinical and cost outcomes were compared between the two cohorts using the generalized estimating equation model.

Findings:

The clinical outcomes were measured by infection- and infusion-related adverse events (AEs). Most of them were not significantly different (P > 0.05) between the intervention group and matched controls. Although the proportion of patients who had a mild less common AE was higher (4.4% vs. 0.0%;P = 0.04), it could be due to increased reporting among the intervention group. The annual adjusted mean total health-care costs of patients in the program (n = 45) were $20,868 lower compared to matched controls (n = 180), representing a 24% lower costs ($66,450 vs. $87,318;P = 0.009).

Conclusion:

This study may demonstrate that clinical management programs for SCIG may be associated with lower health-care costs and comparable infection and severe AE rates. The limitations of this study included a small sample size and a reliance on administrative claim data.

Barriers to receipt of novel oral oncolytics: A single-institution quality improvement investigation

INTRODUCTION

Novel oral oncolytic agents have become the standard of care and first-line therapies for many malignancies. However, issues impacting access to these drugs are not well explored. As part of a quality improvement project in a large tertiary academic institution, we aim to identify potential barriers that delay treatment for patients who are prescribed novel oral oncolytics.

METHODS

This was a retrospective review of adults who were newly prescribed a novel oral oncolytic for Food and Drug Administration-approved indications at a single tertiary care center. Patients were identified via electronic prescription data (e-Scribe). Demographics, insurance information, and prescription dates were extracted from the electronic medical record and pharmacy claims data. Statistical analyses were performed to determine whether time-to-receipt was associated with insurance category, pharmacy transfers, cost assistance, and drug prescribed.

RESULTS

Of the 270 successfully filled prescriptions, the mean time-to-receipt was 7.3 ± 10.3 days (range: 0-109 days). Patients with Medicare experienced longer time-to-receipt (9.1 ± 13.1 days) compared to patients with commercial insurance (4.4 ± 3.3). Uninsured patients experienced the longest time-to-receipt (15.7 ± 7.8 days) overall. Pharmacy transfers and cost assistance programs were also significantly associated with longer time-to-receipt. Ten prescriptions remained unfilled 90 days after the study period and were considered abandoned.

CONCLUSION

Insurance has a significant effect on the time-to-receipt of newly prescribed novel oral oncolytics. Pharmacy transfers and applying for cost assistance are also associated with longer wait times for patients. Our retrospective analysis identifies areas of improvement for future interventions to reduce wait times for patients receiving novel oral oncolytics.

Impact of a specialty pharmacy case management service on adherence in patients receiving oral antineoplastic agents

Background Patients receiving treatment with oral antineoplastic agents encounter several barriers to adherence, which may include high medication costs, limited access to specialty medications, severe adverse effects, complex medication regimens, and special handling precautions. Medication nonadherence not only reduces the efficacy of drug therapy but also has the potential to increase healthcare expenditures due to disease-related hospitalizations. Although several previous studies have examined patient adherence to oral antineoplastic agents, few have examined the impact of a specialty pharmacy case management service. Methods Patient adherence to oral antineoplastic agents was evaluated through a retrospective analysis of pharmacy claims data and medical chart reviews. The medication possession ratio (MPR) was used to quantitatively measure adherence during two 6-month intervals, prior to and following the implementation of a case management service. Patients with an MPR greater than or equal to 0.8 were categorized as adherent, while those with an MPR less than 0.8 were categorized as non-adherent. Results During the first 6-month interval prior to implementation of the case management service (n = 40), a cumulative average MPR of 0.922 was observed. Following implementation of the case management service (n = 56), a non-statistically significant (p = 0.199) increase in MPR to 0.941 was identified. For patients categorized as non-adherent, a nonstatistically significant (p = 0.214) decrease from 15% to 7% was identified following the introduction of the case management service. Conclusion Study results from this retrospective review indicate that case management services provided through an outpatient specialty pharmacy may have the potential to improve patient adherence to oral antineoplastic agents.

Evaluation of a Hepatitis C Patient Management Program at a University Specialty Pharmacy

BACKGROUND

The University of Rochester (UR) Specialty Pharmacy hepatitis C patient management program offers a unique advantage of being integrated within the same health system as the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) Gastroenterology and Hepatology division.

OBJECTIVE

The primary purpose of this study was to assess treatment success through the incidence of achieving a sustained virological response (SVR) in patients served by the UR Specialty Pharmacy versus other nonintegrated pharmacies.

METHODS

This was a single-center retrospective cohort study in adult patients of URMC Gastroenterology and Hepatology prescribed hepatitis C treatment between January 1, 2014, and July 15, 2015. The incidence of SVR, adherence, delay in therapy initiation, early treatment discontinuation, rate of attainment of viral load measurement post-therapy completion, and predictors associated with treatment outcome were assessed.

RESULTS

A total of 414 patients were prescribed hepatitis C virus treatment during the study period; 137 did not initiate therapy. The rate of SVR was 93% among patients at the UR Specialty Pharmacy and 89% at nonintegrated pharmacies ( P = 0.357). Adherence to therapy was 100% and 97% at the UR Specialty Pharmacy and nonintegrated pharmacies, respectively ( P = 0.046).

CONCLUSIONS

The UR Specialty Pharmacy was associated with a 93% SVR rate and significantly greater adherence compared with nonintegrated pharmacies. Larger studies are needed to determine if a significant difference in SVR exists between integrated and nonintegrated pharmacies. This study provides a framework for other institutions to justify developing integrated hepatitis C specialty pharmacy services and evaluate their success.