Specialty Pharmacy: An Innovative Prescription to Help People Live Healthier Lives

Improving the quality of care is more than simply helping people find the right medical professional — it is also about helping provide access to medicines that improve their lives. Our Prescription Solutions business helps millions of people across the health care system more easily receive their pharmaceutical products when and how they want them.

One of the largest areas of growth for Prescription Solutions is the field of specialty pharmaceuticals — high-cost, usually injectable products that are used to treat those with rare and/or chronic conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia and multiple sclerosis.

An integral part of Prescription Solutions Specialty Pharmacy is our innovative integrated disease therapy management programs, which bring physicians and patients together with our clinical pharmacists and nurses to offer a helping hand to those who are at greatest risk.

For example, Louella (Lou) has suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for years, but a change in medication brought mood swings and flu-like symptoms. A Prescription Solutions Disease Therapy Management clinician conducted a baseline assessment of Lou’s symptoms and discovered one of the medications she was taking for her arthritis was no longer required and the other was causing her debilitating side effects.

Our Prescription Solutions clinician, Elizabeth Dang, discussed with Lou some alternative treatments. She created a care plan for dealing with her symptoms and depression and, finally, she encouraged Lou to speak with her doctor about a new therapy for arthritis. Soon a change in therapy led to a brighter outlook for Lou. Her depression dissipated and she was able to gain more effective control over her arthritis. According to Lou, she never would have asked for a change in therapy had she not learned about the possible link between her symptoms and her previous therapy. She was overjoyed to be back, once again, to her “normal self.”