This nationwide survey study evaluated the scope and depth of didactic and experiential instruction on specialty pharmacy (SP) in US schools/colleges of pharmacy. In the 43 respondents (response rate 31%) specialty pharmacy (SP)-related topics were sparsely covered in current didactic and experiential curriculum, but more common in schools with SP-affiliated faculty. Many schools recognize the value and growth of SP and the importance of SP-related education.

Pharmacists play a vital role in specialty care, but intervention practices aren't standardized. This national survey of 24 health-system specialty pharmacies revealed wide variation in defining and documenting interventions, though most were pharmacist-led and recorded in EHRs. Standardizing these practices can improve care quality, highlight pharmacist impact, and strengthen patient outcomes.

This multisite national effort aims to identify measures deemed important and usable by specialty stakeholders that can be standardized and implemented in specialty pharmacy practice to ensure the safe, appropriate, and effective use of specialty medications in patients with RA. This poster describes the study methodology and response rate.

This study compared the number, type, and time spent on interventions for patients filling non-MS neurology specialty medications at IHSSPs versus non-IHSSP pharmacies. IHSSP patients experienced greater variety and frequency of clinical interventions, including a third of interventions related to therapy changes which could impact patient outcomes. Financial assistance recommendations were more necessary for non-IHSSP patients.

The purpose of the project is to redesign and align the specialty pharmacy Pharmacist Intervention (PI) Assessment with pharmacy organizations, published literature, and pharmacist feedback, allowing detailed documentation that clearly communicates the reason for and outcome of the pharmacist intervention. Key lessons learned are featured to outline steps for replicating the project in other health systems.

There is a growing number of specialty medications with requirements that exceed standard characteristics, newly defined as "ultra-complex." This article details ultra-complex specialty medications, and strategies implemented by VSP to maintain an optimal patient journey. Ultra-complex specialty medications provide unprecedented therapeutic advancements but demand multidisciplinary resources to reach the desired therapeutic goals, which make health systems an ideal management setting.

This primer describes the structure of copay accumulator, copay maximizer, and alternative funding programs used by payers and self-employers to shift costs for high-priced specialty medications. The primer uses a patient case throughout to highlight the unique structure of these programs and their impact on patient affordability and access.

This study presents results from a national survey evaluating barriers, needed support and program goals for implementing long-acting injectable HIV ART. This work was performed under the larger Accelerating Implementation of Multilevel Strategies to Advance Long-Acting Injectable for Underserved Populations (ALAI UP Project).

This quality improvement project implemented the use of tools in the electronic health record that allowed specialty pharmacist to discretely document clinical data for Hepatitis C as part of their normal workflow. Post-implementation, the documentation burden for pharmacists was reduced and documented data was used to create a near real-time dashboard for reporting and tracking patient outcomes.

This study found that health system specialty pharmacist interventions in MS can lead to substantial direct and indirect cost avoidance-up to $156,265 within a 6-month time frame. Most costs were avoided directly by preventing the dispensing of inappropriate therapies and indirectly by preventing additional health care utilization.