Hospital / Health System Owned Specialty Pharmacies (HHOSPs) have been saying that they are better qualified than independent SPs because they are integrated, essentially bolted to the hip of the hospital clinical team. The reality is that the hospital pharmacy is still the primary source of meds for inpatients, not the HHOSP. So, the claim about better integration leading to better outcomes may be a bit of editorial license.
We’ve been alert to claims in the HHOSP segment that validate enhanced differentiation. The article below details a program offered by Excelera that actually does show differentiation. They are sponsoring a “new specialty-pharmacy-focused educational offering in partnership with Aptitude Health, which provides critical insights for life sciences companies and healthcare professionals to improve cancer care and outcomes.” As described, the program seems to offer tangible content in hematology and oncology, arguably the most challenging area in specialty pharmacy and where specialty needs to be at the peak of its game.
It is also noteworthy that Excelera has partnered with Aptitude Health, which is closely aligned with pharmaceutical companies. Aptitude Health claims to be “…the global market leader in evidence-based solutions for life science companies seeking to identify, develop, and commercialize oncology and hematology innovations.” Independent SPs might do well to take a cue from the competition.
Excelera and Aptitude Health Offer New Specialty Pharmacy Focused Educational Resources for Cancer Care
August 05, 2021 — MINNEAPOLIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Excelera, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shields Health Solutions and the company behind the Excelera Network, announced today a new specialty pharmacy-focused educational offering in partnership with Aptitude Health, which provides critical insights for life sciences companies and healthcare professionals to improve cancer care and outcomes. Together, the companies will publish key takeaways and potential implications for pharmacy professionals from Aptitude’s Evolving Paradigms in Care (EPICS) programs, which include congresses and global perspectives focused on major solid tumor and hematologic malignancies and the incorporation of new clinical data in disease management and treatment approaches. The new initiative underscores the importance of extending disease state-specific hematology and oncology insights in support of the integrated health system model and its multi-disciplinary approach to patient care.
“This collaboration with Excelera to create EPICS program content specifically for specialty pharmacy providers is exciting because it allows the pharmacy audience to benefit from insights into the emerging trends in the landscape and potential changes in prescribing patterns that might result from paradigm-changing studies in oncology and supportive care,” said Kerry Bradley, Vice President of Payor and Market Access, Aptitude Health.
Each EPICS report is based on the outcomes from closed-door roundtable discussions featuring clinical experts engaged in disease-specific discussions on translational and therapeutic advances and their application to clinical decision-making. Aptitude Health produces a high-level summary of the program discussion, as well as an Insights Report, which includes updates on drug development, patient management, strategic recommendations and the current and future disease landscape. The collaborations between Aptitude Health and Excelera will be triggered when information from the syndicated portions of these reports have potential importance for the pharmacy community.
“Excelera established its partnership with Aptitude Health in 2020 to leverage and share the expertise of healthcare providers specializing in cancer care with the specialty pharmacies in the Excelera Network,” said Diane Wolfe, VP Network Strategy at Excelera. “We are pleased to enhance that partnership with content developed from the perspective of specialty pharmacy experts in hematology and oncology who are aligned with academic medical centers, health systems and IDNs.”
About Aptitude Health
Aptitude Health is the global market leader in evidence-based solutions for life science companies seeking to identify, develop, and commercialize oncology and hematology innovations. With a proven track record of success, we transform the world’s growing scientific and clinical knowledge into better patient outcomes. The expertise of our team is backed by unparalleled access to global disease-state experts and healthcare professionals, making Aptitude Health the strategic partner of choice for the world’s most successful life science companies.
