Avella Releases Guide to Selecting the Right Specialty Pharmacy

The newly released payer-directed resource from Avella details 10 of the most important issues payers should consider when selecting a specialty pharmacy.

Avella Specialty Pharmacy recently released a white paper geared towards payers outlining the most important issues to consider when selecting a specialty pharmacy. “The selection of a specialty pharmacy should be based on its capacity to address each specialty drug’s unique requirements, to provide comprehensive, quality clinical services to patients, and to meet manufacturers’ and providers’ data and utilization review needs,” the publication states.

According to Avella, these are the 10 most important factors to consider when choosing a specialty pharmacy:

• Access to limited distribution drugs
• Specialty medication therapy management Specialty pharmacist counsel Strategically timed communications Patient education Technological tools Experiential support groups
• Customer service 24/7 clinical support Financial assistance/copay assistance for patients Customer satisfaction
• Accreditation Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board accreditation URAC accreditation
• Quality
• Waste management Quantity limits Elimination of auto-refills
• Data management/reporting
• Cost containment
• Internal resources Call center Prior authorization services Billing Legal/regulatory oversight Regional account management Marketing department Formulary management
• Corporate history, community standing, and distinctions

This list, which is a follow-up to Avella’s video on the definition of a specialty pharmacy, also provides insight into the various tasks (aside from dispensing) that specialty pharmacists are expected to perform on a daily basis. To read the white paper, download it here