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Navigating Specialty Pharmacy: Insights, Challenges and Solutions
Activity description
This activity consists of a recorded presentation from the "Medical Director and Clinician Leadership Forum 2024" held September 23-24, 2024 in Las Vegas, NV. The Forum was designed for medical directors and other clinical executives/leaders working in the managed health care industry.
Specialty pharmacies (SPs) play a pivotal role in addressing the unique needs of individuals with rare, chronic and complex health conditions, and the utilization of specialized medications and complex treatment therapies continues to rise. This presentation will delve into the specific role of SPs in making these vital products available to patients, discussing not only the challenges posed by high therapy costs, patient management and medication affordability but also strategies to overcome these challenges. This presentation will also highlight the value of drug benefit programs and discuss how effective measures such as biosimilar adoption, therapeutic alternatives and innovative dosing methodologies can be adopted to reduce costs and the likelihood of adverse events while improving patient outcomes and the provider experience.
Learning Objectives
At the end of this educational activity, participants should be able to:
- Describe the structure and role of SPs, including how they obtain newer and niche pharmaceuticals, the associated costs and the monitoring of patient services and programs.
- Discuss the challenges and solutions in SP therapies, including the high costs of specialty drugs, their impact on patient access and strategies to reduce these costs and the likelihood of adverse events.
- Identify strategies to improve patient outcomes and the provider experience, such as biosimilar adoption, therapeutic alternatives and innovative dosing methodologies.
- Explain the value and role of drug benefit programs in supporting SP therapies and how they can be leveraged to improve patient management and medication affordability.
Provided by
This activity is jointly provided by Optum Health Education.
Commercial support
There was no commercial support received for this activity.
Required hardware/software
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Presenter
Sheila Arquette, RPH
President & CEO
National Association of Specialty Pharmacy
Planners
Elizabeth Albert, MD
Clinical Activity Manager
Optum Health Education
Eden Prairie, MN
Neil Braunstein, MD
Senior Medical Director Specialty
Optum Health, Clinical Performance
Sara Fleszar, PharmD, BCOP
Senior Clinical Pharmacist
Optum Health Solutions
Rebecca Gleason, RN, CCM
Activity Manager
Optum Health Education
Eden Prairie, MN
Lisa Latts, MD, MSPH, MBA, FACP
Senior Medical Director, Value-Based Care
Optum
Eden Prairie, MN
Jennifer Malin, MD, PhD
Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer
Optum Health Solutions
Eden Prairie, MN
Disclosures of relevant financial relationships
In accordance with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education's (ACCME) Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, OptumHealth Education (OHE) requires all those in control of educational content to disclose their financial relationships with ineligible companies within the prior 24 months. Ineligible companies are defined by the ACCME as companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing health care products used by or on patients. Individuals must disclose all financial relationships, regardless of the amount, with ineligible companies and regardless of their view of the relevance of the relationship to the education. OHE ensures that the content is independent of commercial bias.
The list below includes individuals that have relevant financial relationships.
Financial Relationship Key A-Advisory Board CT-Clinical Trial C-Consultant E-Employee G- Grant/Research Support or Funding I-Stocks and Other Ownership Interests S-Speakers’ Bureau O-Other Financial or Material Support
Sheila Arquette, RPH: Prime Meridian Group (A); Wellsky (S)
All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.
The planners have no financial relationships to disclose.
Method for calculating CE credit
CE credit was calculated by the complexity of content.
Accreditation statement
In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Optum Health Education. Optum Health Education is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the health care team.
Credit designation statements
This activity was planned by and for the health care team, and learners will receive 1.00 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.
Nurses
The participant will be awarded up to 0.75 contact hour(s) of credit for attendance and completion of supplemental materials.
Nurse practitioners
The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME and ANCC.
This activity is designated for 0.75 ANCC pharmacotherapeutic contact hours.
Pharmacists/Pharmacy technicians
This activity is approved for 0.75 contact hours ([0.075] CEU) in states that recognize ACPE.
Attending the full program will earn 0.75 contact hours.
Unique Activity Number(s): JA0007123-0000-24-076-H01-P/T
Physicians
Optum Health Education designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 0.75AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
PAs
The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME.
Psychologists
Optum Health Education is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to offer continuing education for psychologists. Optum Health Education maintains responsibility for this program. 0.75 CE hour.
Social workers
As a Jointly Accredited Organization, Optum Health Education is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Optum Health Education maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive 0.75 enduring continuing education credits.
Attendance
A certificate of attendance will be provided to learners upon completion of activity requirements, enabling participants to register with licensing boards or associations that have not been pre-approved for credits. To apply for credit types not listed above, participants should use the procedure established by the specific organization with which they wish to obtain credit.
Available Credit
- 0.75 ACPE - Pharmacists
- 0.75 ACPE - Pharmacy Technicians
- 0.75 AMA - Physicians
- 0.75 ANCC - Nurses
- 0.75 APA - Psychologists
- 0.75 Attendance - General Attendance
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