Integrated specialty pharmacy services sound so upbeat it is hard to, well, beat. The integration being promoted by health system specialty pharmacies launched in recent years use integration of the whole health record as their key differentiator. Frankly, they consciously seek to make standalone specialty pharmacies look like a shabby second choices.
The article below outlines a new program being launched jointly by McKesson Corp and Vanderbilt Health Rx Solutions with the specific purpose of helping hospitals and health systems to open their own ‘owned and operated’ specialty pharmacies. They join a growing number of organizations pushing hospitals to invest in similar deals as we’ve previously reported.
Here’s the noteworthy excerpt from the press release……
“The new service will offer customized specialty pharmacy services and growth strategies to hospitals and health systems in every phase of their maturity. VHRxS’s portfolio of robust specialty pharmacy consulting services will help health systems improve patient and provider satisfaction while creating new revenue streams by fully integrating pharmacy services into specialty clinics.
In fairness, McKesson is not the first wholesaler to help shift specialty pharmacy volume to provider owned operations….. such as assisting Oncology practices to open their own in-office pharmacies. Like other wholesalers, McKesson’s specialty pharmacy division will eventually compete with the same hospital/provider owned specialty pharmacies they help create for the same prescriptions.
McKesson Expands Integrated Pharmacy Services for Specialty Clinics
McKesson, Vanderbilt Health Rx Solutions to leverage collective expertise to advance the mission of health system specialty pharmacies.
March 16, 2021 — IRVING, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–McKesson Corporation, a global healthcare company, announces a new collaboration with Vanderbilt Health Rx Solutions (VHRxS), a national leader in specialty pharmacy strategy and implementation, to offer VHRxS’s full suite of specialty pharmacy consulting services to McKesson’s health system clients. This new, specialized offering from VHRxS will complement the experience of McKesson, which has offered industry-leading pharmacy services for more than 40 years, by bringing the expertise of VHRxS, which was founded by Vanderbilt University Medical Center to advance the mission of health systems specialty pharmacies nationwide.
“By collaborating with McKesson, we can better extend our expertise as a leading health system-based specialty pharmacy provider to help our peers. We know from experience that investing in your specialty pharmacy operations boosts patient and provider satisfaction, which reaps seen and unseen benefits many times over.”
The new service will offer customized specialty pharmacy services and growth strategies to hospitals and health systems in every phase of their maturity. VHRxS’s portfolio of robust specialty pharmacy consulting services will help health systems improve patient and provider satisfaction while creating new revenue streams by fully integrating pharmacy services into specialty clinics.
Scott Miller, president of McKesson Health Systems, shares, “Our teams work closely with customers to understand their challenges and this was a clear need for health systems addressing their specialty pharmacy capabilities. Along with our existing portfolio of services and solutions, this is one more way customers can achieve more for their hospitals and patients by creating new or strengthening existing revenue streams.”
McKesson’s pharmacy leaders and the VHRxS team of experienced, hands-on advisors understand the needs and challenges of health system specialty pharmacies. The teams have deep experience working with health systems in all stages of growth, from developing and implementing initial specialty pharmacy growth strategies to optimizing existing operations to reach the next level.
Jim Hayman, president of VHRxS and Chief Pharmacy Officer at Vanderbilt Health, states, “By collaborating with McKesson, we can better extend our expertise as a leading health system-based specialty pharmacy provider to help our peers. We know from experience that investing in your specialty pharmacy operations boosts patient and provider satisfaction, which reaps seen and unseen benefits many times over.”
The VHRxS consulting services will be customized to meet the needs of each health system as they address their own unique challenges and look to create sustainable specialty pharmacy programs, including:
– Opportunity assessments
– Strategic planning and guidance
– Operating model design and implementation
– Pharmacy accreditation support
– Facility and workflow design
– Access strategies for limited distribution drugs and payer networks
