Digital Solutions in Specialty Pharmacy Have Many Applications | Asembia’s AXS25 Summit
A growing and more diverse pipeline means that there is a greater need for digital innovations, which can address affordability, access and industry collaboration, according to Sarah Thomas, VP of sales and commercialization at HealthDyne and David Skomo, COO of HealthDyne.
Improving patient care access is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to digital innovations in specialty pharmacy, according to David Skomo, COO of HealthDyne.
“It's not just about telemedicine visits and telehealth visits with pharmacists,” Skomo said in an interview with Managed Healthcare Executive. “The digital innovations that we're trying to promote, support and develop are in an effort to reduce some of the complexity of the healthcare system, especially when it comes to pharmacy and some of that patient frustration.”
David Skomo
Skomo said that digital innovations can improve the lack of coordination that happens within the industry today to make sure patients are getting the best care possible.
Digital tools can also help with patient affordability, said Sarah Thomas, VP of sales and commercialization at HealthDyne, who also sat down for an interview with Managed Healthcare Executive.
Sarah Thomas
“If your medications cost $1,000 and it requires a prior authorization, it's very unlikely you're going to get support to navigate that journey of a prior authorization and financial assistance programs available at a retail counter, where you have to wait in line and the pharmacist is trying to fill thousands of scripts a day,” Thomas said.
Thomas also touched on the convenience of digital tools.
“I don't want people to call me and talk to me about my benefits,” she said. “I'd much rather transact quickly, answer questions and move on with life through my phone.”
Skomo and Thomas said that they don’t see any of the recent digital innovation trends contributing to overprescribing.
“The bad players in the market who were perpetuating overprescribing or risky prescribing… I think a lot of that's gotten rooted out,” Thomas said. “With any rapid evolution of solutions in the market for any industry, you're going to see some of that, but it's a curve, and I think we're coming down to a more normalized point.”
Skomo and Thomas spoke at Asembia’s AXS25 Summit, held this week in Las Vegas. They co-hosted a session yesterday titled ‘Transforming Access and Affordability: The New Era of Pharmacy.’
Healthcare hasn't been a priority of the second Trump administration so far, panelists at the Asembia agreed. Medicaid may loom large, though, as the administration and congressional Republicans look for ways to slash government spending as a way of offsetting major tax cuts.
Read More
