This report describes VSP's development of an ASHP-accredited community based residency program in the health-system specialty pharmacy setting.

Pharmacists at health system-based specialty pharmacies have the opportunity to improve patient care by providing comprehensive medication management for patients prescribed specialty medication. This manuscript describes how Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy integrated pharmacy services into existing outpatient specialty disease clinics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, which improved patient access to therapy and continuity of care.

Pharmacy technicians facilitate medication refills for patients following transplant by conducting phone calls and scheduling medication shipments. Standard prescribing of these medications required calls to be made every 30 days. However technician’s ability to service an increasing number of patients was limited by high call volume workload. In this study, we found that converting medication supply from 30 to 90-days reduced daily call volume and allowed the technician to service more patients

This report describes a health-system pharmacy department’s response to recovering from a natural disaster and preparing for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). By detailing our experience and efforts, we hope to help other institutions who are or will be in a similar crisis-response mode.

This descriptive report details the development and early results of the VSP Health Outcomes and Research Program. Started as an initiative for pharmacists to evaluate and convey the benefits they provide to patients, providers, and the health system, the Program has pioneered outcomes research among HSSPs nationwide and has proven valuable to specialty pharmacists, the health system, and key specialty pharmacy stakeholders.

Adherence and persistence to specialty medications can be challenging during transitions in sites of care, provider types, specialty medications, and financial coverage changes. In this report, we review obstacles encountered within these transitions and the role of the specialty pharmacist in overcoming obstacles. Case examples for each type of specialty transition provide insight into the unique complexities faced by patients and shed light on pharmacists’ vital role in patient care.

This online survey study of specialty clinic providers at 10 health-systems evaluated quality of services of integrated and external specialty pharmacies. The mean (SD) score for overall satisfaction with integrated specialty pharmacies was significantly higher than the score for satisfaction with external specialty pharmacies: 4.72 (0.58) vs 2.97 (1.20) out of 5; P 0.001. Findings demonstrate high rates of provider satisfaction with HSSP services and perceived benefits.

This study evaluated rates of adherence to biologic DMARDS, measured by proportion of days covered (PDC), across 20 health-system specialty pharmacies through the Health-System Specialty Pharmacy Outcomes Research Consortium. The final median PDC after accounting for appropriate gaps in therapy was high at 95% (IQR, 0.87-0.99), demonstrating the benefits of health-system specialty pharmacies in helping patients with RA remain on effective therapies.