AscellaHealth and Optime Care Collaborate with National Association of Specialty Pharmacy, Releases Podcast Series on Rare Disease Patient Journey

BERWYN, Pa. & EARTH CITY, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AscellaHealth, a global healthcare and specialty pharmacy services organization and Optime Care, a nationally recognized specialty pharmacy, distribution and patient management organization maximizing therapeutic opportunities for the treatment of orphan and rare disorders, today announce their collaboration with the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP) to release a four-part podcast series that assists healthcare providers with insights into the patient journey and overcoming challenges for individuals with rare diseases and complex, chronic conditions. The final podcast episode will be recorded LIVE at the NASP 2022 Annual Meeting & Expo - Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center, Orlando, Florida, Sept. 19-22, 2022.

The three completed podcasts are now available online, and address the nuances of care coordination and the treatment journeys of rare disease patients.

Episode 1 - Understanding Patient Care Coordination Across the Healthcare Spectrum: Ensuring patients have access to specialty drugs is complex and requires artful navigation of a supply chain and healthcare ecosystem to meet regulatory/treatment conditions by several key players. However, a proven specialty pharmacy services model enables all stakeholders to support the patient and ensure optimal outcomes via streamlined patient care coordination.

Episode 2 - Optimizing Specialty Pharmacy Health Outcomes: As with many elements of healthcare delivery, the market is evolving to value-based delivery. Although Specialty drugs are the future of medicine, they require a much higher level of care coordination and follow-up to ensure patients remain adherent. Care coordination must include the management of potential side effects to increase compliance and realize the total value of therapy. Optime Care’s customized clinical support programs and interventions result in optimal compliance, outcomes and quality of life.

Episode 3 - Navigating the Patient Journey in Specialty Pharmacy - From Evaluation Through Treatment: Higher-cost specialty pharmaceuticals have exacting requirements, including dispensing, distribution, reimbursement, case management and other services specific to patients with rare and/or chronic diseases. Since these therapies require more personnel and systems, a high level of care coordination is needed before the pharmacy dispenses specialty medications to patients.

LIVE AT NASP, Sep 21^st at 2PM EST- Episode 4 - How to Improve the Patient Experience and Why it Matters: As patients become more informed, deploying a personalized, multi-layered patient engagement strategy that includes various channels, such as text, phone and email, based on the patient's preferences is vital. Specialty pharmacies are more collaborative that ever to strengthen their relationships with patients, break down barriers to access and improve clinical outcomes.

“Our rare disease patient journey series podcasts are an excellent channel for communicating a key strength of our organization — our complete end-to-end solution to help rare and orphan disease patients accelerate streamlined access to specialized treatments that improve outcomes and enhance their quality of life,” says Michael Baldzicki, chief brand officer, AscellaHealth. “In many cases, this actually means survival.”

An important market differentiator for Optime Care is its sole focus on orphan and rare disease therapies.

Brandon Salke, Pharm.D., pharmacist-in-charge, Optime Care, adds, “We support our clients with customized solutions and a collaborative approach to addressing unmet market needs. With a deep understanding of rare disease states, we can help patients overcome barriers to accessing specialized care and treatment.”

Sheila Arquette, president and CEO, NASP, says, "As research into rare diseases and complex conditions accelerates, more specialty medications are available than ever before – from fewer than 30 in the mid-1990s to now more than 300 specialty therapies."

She explains that these lifesaving and life-changing drugs frequently require special handling, shipping, and storage, involve unique administration routes such as infusions and injections, and require significant patient education and product support services to ensure optimal clinical and cost-effective outcomes.

"Pharmacists are uniquely qualified with experience and training to manage these challenges expertly," continues Arquette. "Rare disease patients consider their pharmacist a knowledgeable educator, helping them understand medication dosage, side effects, and potential drug interactions and are available 24/7 to answer urgent questions or help manage adverse events."

She notes that Specialty Pharmacies serve as an extension of the prescriber’s office, "... with physicians relying on the invaluable assistance provided that ensures medication efficacy and patient safety and adherence to the prescribed treatment regimen."

About AscellaHealth LLC

AscellaHealth is a global Healthcare & Specialty Pharmacy solutions organization serving patients, payers, life sciences manufacturers and providers, offering a comprehensive portfolio of customized, tech-enabled specialty pharmaceutical and personalized medical management services. A multiple Inc. 5000 winner, AscellaHealth’s unique, patient-centric approach is built upon proprietary technology processes for innovative programs and services optimizing health outcomes and quality of life for patients with complex chronic conditions or rare diseases that require specialty medications and/or gene and cell therapies. Most recently, AscellaHealth has joined with its subsidiaries, Optime Care and Terebellum to form the AscellaHealth Family of Companies. Visit www.AscellaHealth.com.

About Optime Care

Optime Care, Inc. is a nationally recognized specialty pharmacy, distribution and patient management organization offering a suite of comprehensive services tailored to maximize the therapeutic opportunities for the treatment of orphan and rare disorders. Our executive team has partnered in the launch and management of over 40 orphan products and programs while consistently implementing the best brand services for the community. Our experience with small patient populations, coupled with our strategic partnership with AscellaHealth, enhances our services and ability to serve the specialty pharmacy market. Optime Care has dual-accreditation from the Utilization Review Accreditation Commission (URAC) for compliance with specialty pharmacy and the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) for specialty pharmacy services that demonstrate a commitment to providing quality care and services to consumers. https://www.optimecare.com/

Media:
Caroline Chambers
CPR Communications
cchambers@cpronline.com
201.641.1911 x 21