AscellaHealth Documents Benefits of Partnering with Specialty Pharmacy Benefits Manager to Account for Social Determinants of Health and Contain Costs

BERWYN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AscellaHealth, a national specialty pharmacy benefit manager (SPBM™) serving commercial, Medicare and Medicaid segments, announces the release of its white paper, “Specialty RX Cost Containment Expertise Successfully Addresses Impact of Social Determinants of Health for Individuals with Rare Diseases,” authored by Dea Belazi, president and CEO. Belazi describes the impact of a competitive marketplace where manufacturers increasingly recognize that payers and healthcare systems are choosing to partner with specialty medical Rx pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), such as AscellaHealth. These relationships are proving to better address social determinants of health (SDoH) and contain costs associated with specialty drugs.

“SDoH is the umbrella term for conditions in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship and age, affecting a wide range of health, functioning and quality-of-life outcomes and accounting for up 80-90% of a health outcome,” says Belazi. “While healthcare providers do their best to understand as much about the patient’s life as possible, they don’t always have the time or reach to fully understand the impact of SDoH for each person. AscellaHealth’s specialty medical pharmacy management is designed to address these issues in order to reduce costs, increase specialty drug availability and improve patient outcomes through appropriate medication therapy management.”

There is increased focus on SDoH among specialty pharmaceutical manufacturers seeking commercialization opportunities as the year-over-year growth in specialty drug revenue and new drug applications for specialty therapeutics at the FDA signals a fast-growth industry trend toward specialty drugs, Manufacturers now take into account the social risk factors that guide planning, including access to affordable healthcare services and medications, opportunities to leverage emerging communication technologies and services that support health literacy and the adoption of telehealth services.

Belazi adds, “Our approach serves as a collaborative model for helping clients find resources and support. Ultimately, our focus on SDoH—and putting the patient/member at the center of care —reflects our commitment to providing a robust, safe and affordable drug benefit to members while improving outcomes and reducing costs.”

About AscellaHealth

AscellaHealth, a national specialty pharmacy benefit manager (SPBM™), serving commercial, Medicare and Medicaid segments, offers high quality prescription drug benefit management services. Complemented by other customizable services, such as carved-out specialty pharmacy services and cost-savings programs, AscellaHealth provides a unique, proprietary service portfolio. Visit www.ascellahealth.com.

Media:
Nicole Dufour
CPR Communications
ndufour@cpronline.com
201.641.1911 x 54