United Health Services (UHS), a large health system located in upstate New York with over 60 locations, including three hospitals, is committed to giving patients easy access to quality healthcare across the region. That’s why in 2019, the health system launched its outpatient specialty pharmacy for UHS Binghamton General Hospital, which includes the Wilson Medical Center.

According to William Waldron, RPh, MHA — Director of Outpatient Services at UHS, their journey to establish a specialty pharmacy began in 2018. “After our previous director of pharmacy attended a focused session on specialty pharmacy services at a national industry conference, we decided to take a closer look at our infrastructure to see if it made sense for our organization and our community,” he explains. Working with an external consultant on this analysis, UHS found that nearly 50% of their clinics served specialty patients. Additionally, patients in many surrounding counties continued to lose access to medications as local pharmacies closed their doors.

“This led us to the conclusion that adding a specialty pharmacy division would be an important, clinically effective service for the communities we serve.”

Given the complexity of launching and managing a specialty pharmacy, UHS chose to work with a company to establish and operate its service just before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. While the service grew steadily, Waldron believed opportunity existed to maximize growth and results. “We transitioned our partnership to CPS in October of 2022, and their unique model began to make a difference — to our patients and physicians — right away.”

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