Published February 19, 2020
Lee Health announced today that it will begin offering clinic-based specialty pharmacy services in February. Specialty pharmacies provide additional support and education for patients suffering from chronic conditions, and the opening of the Lee Health Specialty Pharmacy advances Lee Health’s goal of being active partners with patients to help them along their health care journey. The Lee Health Specialty Pharmacy is being developed in collaboration with Trellis Rx, a leading technology-enabled specialty pharmacy services provider.
Thousands of patients in Southwest Florida require specialty medication therapies to manage cancer, HIV, rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic conditions. These community members often require education, clinical support and ongoing management to adhere to their therapy regimens and manage side effects. Monthly out-of-pocket costs for these therapies can also reach thousands of dollars, making it challenging for patients to access and stay compliant with these vital treatments.
The Lee Health Specialty Pharmacy will address these challenges by integrating specialized pharmacists and patient liaisons directly into the specialty care practices to support patients. This local, clinic-based approach will ensure patients receive the coordinated, personalized care required to improve adherence. Lee Health’s physicians and their staff will also receive additional integrated support to relieve the administrative and clinical workflow burden caused by these complex therapies.
“Lee Health is committed to partnering with our community members on their health journey and providing nationally recognized best practice care right here in Southwest Florida,” said Larry Antonucci, M.D., MBA, President & CEO at Lee Health. “Offering specialty pharmacy services right in our practices allows us to offer more personalized support for our patients which will increase access to care, reduce costs, and most importantly enhance health outcomes for our community.”
Patients will receive in-person medication education and ongoing counseling from pharmacists with advanced clinical training. Pharmacy liaisons will manage financial assistance applications, insurance authorizations, medication refills and more to reduce the burden specialty medications often create for patients and providers.
The Lee Health Specialty Pharmacy will begin offering services in the Lee Physician Group Rheumatology clinic this February. Services will be offered in the infectious disease and pediatric endocrinology clinics starting in March and will expand to other clinics throughout 2020.
About Lee Health
Since the opening of the first hospital in 1916, Lee Health has been a health care leader in Southwest Florida, constantly evolving to meet the needs of the community. A non-profit, integrated health care services organization, Lee Health is committed to the well-being of every individual served, focused on healthy living and maintaining good health. Staffed by caring people, inspiring health, services are conveniently located throughout the community in four acute care hospitals, two specialty hospitals, outpatient centers, walk-in medical centers, primary care and specialty physician practices and other services across the continuum of care. Learn more at www.LeeHealth.org.
About Trellis Rx
Trellis Rx helps health systems change the way patients experience specialty medication therapy. It is the only organization that partners with health systems to eliminate the risk of building or expanding on-site clinic-based specialty pharmacy services for their patients.
Trellis Rx’s clinical care model embeds pharmacists with advanced training and pharmacy liaisons into health systems’ specialty clinics. Its fully integrated, local approach ensures patients with chronic and complex conditions receive the personalized, high-touch pharmacy care required to support adherence to treatment plans and improve clinical outcomes. For more information, contact us.