Published March 7, 2019

Summa Health announced today that it will offer a new program to enhance care for patients who take specialty medications to control or treat their conditions. The Summa Health Specialty Pharmacy will be developed in partnership wth Trellis Rx, a leading technology-enabled specialty pharmacy service provider, to deliver the program across its facilities. The new service aims to help patients access and manage these therapies by providing direct, personalized support from pharmacists and patient liaisons who will work alongside Summa Health physicians as an integrated part of the care team. The program will launch in April for oncology patients and expand to other specialties in the following months.

Specialty medications are expensive, and patients must frequently manage additional administrative tasks associated with these therapies like prior authorization from health insurance providers and large co-payments. “We’re committed to building healthier communities, and we believe it is imperative that we remove barriers to effective care,” said Cliff Deveny, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Summa Health. “Specialty medications are increasingly prevalent, but patients often experience significant challenges starting and staying on these therapies. Affordability and lack of education are two of the biggest barriers, and we aim to remove them by providing personalized specialty pharmacy services to support our patients,” Dr. Deveny emphasized.

“The administrative burden that comes with specialty medications frequently falls to physicians and their staff to manage,” said Lydia Cook, M.D., president of Summa Health Medical Group. “We expect this program to alleviate that burden, giving our physicians and their staff more time to focus on caring for our patients and ensuring they stay on the path to healthy living.”

“Summa Health’s commitment to patient education, engagement and support matches our own,” said Andy Maurer, chief executive officer at Trellis Rx. “We believe strongly that health systems are best positioned to enhance the specialty medication experience for patients. Summa Health’s strategy will impact both the cost and quality of care in Northeastern Ohio, and we are looking forward to collaborating with them to support this program.”

About Summa Health
Summa Health is one of the largest integrated healthcare delivery systems in Ohio. Encompassing a network of hospitals, community health centers, a health plan, a physician-hospital organization, a multi-specialty physician organization, research and the Summa Health Foundation, we are nationally renowned for excellence in patient care and for exceptional approaches to healthcare delivery. Summa’s clinical services are consistently recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (Magnet status), Thomson Reuters and The Leapfrog Group. For more information, visit summahealth.org or find us on Facebook at facebook.com/summahealth and Twitter, twitter.com/summahealth.

About Trellis Rx
Trellis Rx helps health systems change the way patients experience specialty medication therapy. The organization works with health systems to fund, build and operate robust specialty pharmacy programs under their brand. Its clinical approach ensures patients receive personalized pharmacy services and high-touch coordination that supports adherence to treatment programs.