Outcomes of a Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Therapy Management Program Focusing on Medication Adherence

Managing Specialty Medication Services Through a Specialty Pharmacy Program: The Case of Oral Renal Transplant Immunosuppressant Medications

“…Lastly, a study by Barlow et al (2012) showed that, in addition to improvements in medication adherence, significant reduction in medical costs was documented for 3 years of participation in specialty pharmacy services versus retail pharmacy services for RA patients. 22,[34][35][36][37][38] Our findings suggest that specialty pharmacy programs can improve the management and medication adherence of patients with renal transplants and simultaneously reduce overall health care costs, which is similar to findings in previous studies. 1,17,22,[34][35][36][37][38] This study demonstrates the value of specialty pharmacy programs in improving adherence to oral transplant products in the first year post-implementation of the program.…”

“…22,[34][35][36][37][38] Our findings suggest that specialty pharmacy programs can improve the management and medication adherence of patients with renal transplants and simultaneously reduce overall health care costs, which is similar to findings in previous studies. 1,17,22,[34][35][36][37][38] This study demonstrates the value of specialty pharmacy programs in improving adherence to oral transplant products in the first year post-implementation of the program. Substantial increases in several measures of adherence, including the number of oral transplant prescriptions filled and fewer gaps in therapy and discontinuation, were seen in patients who used the specialty pharmacy program in the first year.…”

Improvement in Safety Monitoring of Biologic Response Modifiers After the Implementation of Clinical Care Guidelines by a Specialty Pharmacy Service in an Academic Health System

“…Previous studies reported on adherence with BRMs and the impact of various disease state management programs on BRM medication persistency and adherence. [31][32][33][34] One study found that specialty pharmacies reported greater refill adherence for adalimumab than retail pharmacies. 33 This was due in part to proactive refill management performed by the specialty pharmacies, such as reminder mailings, telephone calls, or emails prior to the time that a refill is needed.…”

“…In a study of a rheumatoid arthritis disease therapy management program at a specialty pharmacy, patients who participated in the program had significantly greater adherence to their injectable medications compared with retail pharmacy patients. 32 Safety monitoring is an element of treatment that should be considered for any comprehensive program for BRM management. For example, it could be easily integrated with a proactive refill management program.…”

Opinions of a Small Sample of Pharmacists About Pharmacy Setting and Patient Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy

“…While the primary focus in the pharmacy literature and in public health and insurance policy decision making has been differences between mail order and community-based specialty versus traditional pharmacies, 16,17,24,25,31,32 less is known about the adherence promotion practices of specialty mail order and community pharmacies. In particular, little research attention has focused on adherence promotion activities in mail order settings offering differentiated products-traditional versus specialty mail order-or compared adherence promotion practices and patient health outcomes in community-based specialty and mail order specialty pharmacies.…”