One of the nation’s largest specialty home-delivery pharmacies has a new look and name, promises the same commitment to patient care.
ORLANDO, Fla.† June 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — One of the nation’s largest specialty home-delivery pharmacies is now AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy. Walgreens announced full ownership of the company in January, necessitating the name change.
“AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy is the same specialty and home-delivery pharmacy that our patients rely on and depend on for life-saving medications,” says Joel Wright, RPh, general manager. “We continue to put patients first in everything we do to provide hope and care for a brighter future.”
New name comes with some changes
In addition to the new name, patients and partners may notice some other changes at AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy:
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A more personalized pharmacy experience: AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy’s Specialty360 therapy teams will provide patients with personalized care throughout their care journey. New dedicated therapy directors will work multi-functionally with pharmacy functions to oversee the delivery of patient care. Team members – including pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, nurses and dietitians – will be certified for specific diagnoses along with associated therapies. Those diagnoses include conditions related to: behavioral health, bone health, chronic inflammatory disease, endocrine, neurology, nursing and infusion-assisted therapies, oncology, organ/infectious disease, lung and allergy, and reproductive health.
“As the pharmacy industry has evolved, our patients’ needs have become more complex. To better serve them, we’ve transformed our business model to create dedicated teams focused on specific conditions and therapies,” says Tracey James, RPh, Chief Operating Officer. “We have always been proud to provide comprehensive patient care across functional teams. We are confident that the changes we have made will not only improve patient outcomes, but also lower healthcare costs and improve the patient experience. and the caregiver will improve.”
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Better access to hard-to-find drugs: AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy has since gained access to more than 20 limited-distribution drugs (LDDs). September 2021† “This also included some new launches or additions to previously excluded products,” James says. “And we have six more LDDs in the pipeline, which if we win, will lead to our best year yet.”
James attributes the company’s industry-leading access to hard-to-find drugs to his dedication to patient care. “First, manufacturers know that we have dedicated teams that work closely with patients to ensure they stay in therapy. And, second, they want a partner who has experience dealing with high-touch drugs,” she says. “They know they have that in AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy. We share the same goal of improving patient outcomes while lowering healthcare costs.”
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Making special medicines affordable: Special medicines usually require special treatment, administration or control, and therefore they cost more than regular medicines. Just five years ago, specialty drugs accounted for about 38% of total drug spending.1 Today, specialty drugs account for 50% or more of total prescription spending. In some cases, employers see specialty costs as 60% or even more of their total drug expenditure.2
Wright says AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy has reimbursement specialists who help with pre-authorizations and questions about insurance coverage. “They also help identify financial aid programs available to eligible patients. In fact, we connected eligible patients with more than $600 million in financial support between 2019 and 2021,”3 he says. †We have always worked to provide this level of attention and support to our patients every day, and this is something that we will continue at AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy.”
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Diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) achievements: An increased focus on DE&I has led to the creation of a DE&I board of the company and new team member resource groups that focus on bringing different groups of people across the organization together to celebrate, recognize and acknowledge each other.
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A new headquarters“Over the past few years, we’ve focused on reducing our physical footprint as part of our long-term real estate strategy,” Wright says. The company has stopped providing special recipes from: Orlando and has moved its headquarters to the nearby Walgreens regional office. Wright says this was a natural shift as many of the company’s team members successfully work remotely.
Looking to the future of the specialized pharmacy
Wright finds specialty pharmacies an exciting space and predicts an industry focus on improving the patient journey, including how specialty pharmacies engage with patients and caregivers digitally.
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Removing social barriers: Social determinants of health are everyday factors that can prevent patients from staying in therapy. It could be housing instability, food insecurity, or not being able to come to your doctor’s appointment. “If we can help identify and address these barriers, our patients can stay in treatment and have better outcomes,” James says.
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Data-oriented care: Wright predicts that pharmacists will take a more active role in collecting patient-reported outcomes and using real-world evidence. “Both are essential in helping individualize care, making patients feel heard, understood and vital in the patient journey,” he says.
“As we focus on the future, we’ve developed our business tremendously over the past few months,” Wright says. “These changes give us a great opportunity to look at things with new eyes, take on new challenges, consider new competitors and reposition ourselves in the market. We are excited about the future of the specialty pharmacy and the AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy’s role in shaping it.”
About AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy
AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy (AllianceRxWP.com) provides hope and care for a brighter future to patients with rare diseases and chronic conditions by supplying medicines from its specialty and home-delivered pharmacies. Our advanced analytical capabilities, pharmacy expertise and technology solutions enable suppliers, pharmaceutical manufacturers and health insurers to deliver optimal health outcomes. Through personalized care and clinical programs, along with access to the largest number of limited distribution drugs, patients can return to what matters most. headquarters in Orlando, Floridathe company has several national pharmacy accreditations and has team members around the world the United States†
1 https://www.admere.com/amr-blog/the-rising-costs-of-specialty-drugs
2 https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2022/05/03/health-plans-brace-for-specialty-drugs-eclipsing-50-of-prescription-spending/?sh=4c27be58307d
3 https://www.alliancerxwp.com/contents/press-releases/alliancerx-walgreens-prime-conne.html
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SOURCE AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy