Improving Hospital Access to Specialty Medications

Key Takeaways

• Early manufacturer partnerships accelerate access to new specialty medications
  By working directly with pharmaceutical manufacturers before drug approval, Clearway Health helps hospitals quickly evaluate, secure and deliver new specialty therapies—ensuring patients start treatment faster.

• High-touch specialty pharmacy services improve patient access, safety, and adherence
  Integrated pharmacy teams manage complex requirements like prior authorization, clinical monitoring and financial assistance, making specialty medications easier to access, safer to use and more affordable for patients.

• In-house specialty pharmacy programs drive significant financial and clinical value
  Hospitals that invest in specialty pharmacy—especially those leveraging 340B savings—can reduce costs, expand access to advanced therapies and generate meaningful revenue while improving patient outcomes.

Our team of experts work directly with pharmaceutical manufacturers to learn about their new specialty medications even before they are launched and approved for market use. They evaluate the role these medications play in chronic disease management and assess their criticality for hospital partners and patients. Once approved, they navigate the complex process to allow health systems to obtain these medications and dispense them safely to patients. Clearway Health also works with payors and pharmacy benefit managers to understand coverage policies and ensure our health system’s pharmacy teams are able to dispense specialty medications at the lowest cost possible for patients.

High-Touch Services

By definition, specialty pharmaceuticals require special handling, storage, dispensing, monitoring and payor coverage. Clearway Health works with our health system clinical pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to meet these requirements, whether it's related to clinical monitoring criteria, health plan requirements, copay assistance or medication education. Our high-touch services aim to make it easy for providers and patients to access specialty pharmaceuticals in the safest, most effective and convenient way possible. We're often told by patients, clinicians and their staffs that they cannot imagine functioning without Clearway Health’s specialty pharmacy team.

It is not uncommon for some patients to run out of treatment options, especially if they have advanced stage cancer or a genetic disorder with no or few available medications. When new medications become available that can help with these conditions, Clearway Health works closely with manufacturers to meet their requirements and gain access to these novel medications for our client partners so that their patients can begin treatment as quickly as possible. Many of these medications, including complicated gene and cell therapies, can change a patient's life.

Financial Benefits of In-House Specialty Pharmacy Program

Clearway Health’s efforts also help hospital and health systems realize the financial benefits of providing specialty pharmacy services in-house. With the rising prevalence of disease and increasing costs of specialty medications, the financial impact for a health care organization who owns their own pharmacy can be significant. This is especially the case for hospitals and health systems that participate in the 340B Program. Pharmaceutical 340B savings provide a great deal of financial relief for eligible hospitals caring for our most vulnerable patients and communities.

Clearway Health works with manufacturers and distributors to make sure hospitals and patients receive world-class clinical outcomes and financial results from their in-house specialty pharmacy service.

To learn more about how Clearway Health’s industry affairs services can help your hospital or health system, please connect with us.

‍