Specialty pharmacies positioned to play valuable role in growing accountable health care marketplace

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Oct 09, 2012, 01:24 ET

URAC's Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation program recognizes organizations that meet highest quality management, consumer protection and empowerment and patient safety standards

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 100 new CMS Shared Savings accountable care organizations have come online in 2012, joining at least that many ACOs in the private sector in a test of whether a focus on the health of a defined population can improve health outcomes and lower health care costs. As ACO providers search for partners to achieve better population health, specialty pharmacies are positioned to collaborate and bring targeted expertise in ensuring drug regimens are properly managed—for better health outcomes and lower costs.

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Spending on specialty drugs topped $50 billion in 2010, and is expected to represent 40 percent of health plan drug spending by 2020.[1] The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services defines a specialty drug as one that costs more than $600 per month. Specialty drugs may also be defined by their narrow use to treat specific, mainly chronic, and often rare conditions; special handling required; and the need for patient counseling in their use. With these highly specialized drugs comes the need for a more specialized pharmacy to manage the demanding clinical and patient safety aspects required for their safe and effective use.

"Specialty drugs are a rapidly growing area of health care, and will continue to grow with increasing attention to patient management in transitions between care settings and the emphasis on lower costs through higher quality," said Janice Anderson, RPh, director of pharmacy programs of URAC. "ACOs are envisioned to create a medical neighborhood in which high-quality providers collaborate to improve the health of a population. URAC's Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation offers assurance that organizations meet the highest standards in the industry for quality management, patient safety, and prescriber and consumer communication."

Specialty pharmacies with URAC accreditation or that are in-process include:

Accredo Health Group, Inc.
Acro Pharmaceutical Services
Apothecary Shop of Deer Valley, Inc. and Greater Sacramento Pharmacy, Inc.
ASAP Pharmacy
Axium Healthcare Pharmacy, Inc
Bank's Apothecary
Bergen Pharmacy
Biologics, Inc.
BioPlus Specialty Pharmacy Services, Inc.
BioScrip, Inc.
Blount Discount Pharmacy
Bluegrass Pharmacy of Lexington, LLC
Brame Huie Pharmacy
Burman's Specialty Pharmacy, LLC
Caremark Rx, LLC
CareMed Pharmaceutical Services
Centric Health Resources
Commcare Pharmacy
CoramRx
CuraScript
Cystic Fibrosis Services
DDP Pharmacy, Inc.
Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc.
Fairview Pharmacy Services
Fast Access Specialty Therapeutics
Fresenius Medical Care Rx LLC
Giannotto's Pharmacy
HPC NC Inc
Humana, Inc.
ICORE Healthcare
Josefs Pharmacy LLC
JVJ Pharmacists, Inc. dba University Chemists
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.
KCC, Inc. dba Vital Care Rx
Kerr Health LLC
Kings Pharmacy LLC
Livingston Infusion Care, Inc., dba Discover Rx Infusion & Specialty Pharmacy
Longs Drugs of Lexington, SC Inc.
Main Street Pharmacy
Mast Drug Company, Inc.
MedCart Specialty Pharmacy
MedfusionRx, LLC
MEDIC SPECIALTY PHARMACY
Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy
MedPro Rx Inc.
Noble Health
Novant Specialty Pharmacy
OncologyRx Care Advantage
OncoSource Rx
OptumRx, Inc.
Orchard Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.
Park Pharmacy
Pharmaceutical Specialties, Inc.
Pharmacy Advantage
PharmaHealth Pharmacy
Piedmont Hematology and Oncology Associates
Portland Professional Pharmacy Associates dba Ascend SpecialtyRx
Premier Kids Care, Inc.
Prime Aid Pharmacy, Inc
Reeves-Sain Drug Store, Inc., dba EntrustRx
Reliance Rx
Transcript Pharmacy
Tyro Family Pharmacy
UNC Health Care System
US Bioservices - An Amerisource Bergen Specialty Company
Value Specialty Pharmacy
Vanderbilt Outpatient Pharmacy
Village Fertility Pharmacy
Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy LLC
Wal-Mart Specialty Pharmacy

About URAC
URAC, an independent, nonprofit organization, promotes health care quality through its accreditation, education and measurement programs. URAC offers a wide range of quality benchmarking programs and services that keep pace with the rapid changes in the health care system and provides a symbol of excellence for organizations to validate their commitment to quality and accountability. Through its broad-based governance structure and an inclusive standards development process, URAC ensures that all stakeholders are represented in establishing meaningful quality measures for the entire health care industry. For more information, visit www.urac.org.

[1] URAC white paper, "The Patient-Centered Outgrowth of Specialty Pharmacy." URAC, 2012.

SOURCE URAC