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How Specialty Pharmacies
Can Improve Medication
Adherence and Patient Outcomes

2. © Health Catalyst. Confidential and Proprietary.
Health Catalyst Editors

3. Article
Summary
Specialty pharmacies serve patients who are managing medical
conditions that often require complex therapies. These entities can
implement patient engagement technology to improve medication
adherence and patient outcomes in the following ways:
1 2 3
Streamline the
process for
getting a
patient started
on treatment.
Deliver
educational
resources and
medication
adherence
reminders.
Automate refill
and delivery
notifications to
create staff
efficiencies.
4
Increase patient
satisfaction,
retention, and
patient
outcomes.

4. © Health Catalyst. Confidential and Proprietary.
How Specialty Pharmacies Can Improve Medication
Adherence and Patient Outcomes
Specialty pharmacies often serve
patients who are managing medical
conditions that require complex
therapies. These treatment protocols
can be confusing and overwhelming
for patients who are just starting a
new treatment. Patient engagement
technology can help specialty
pharmacies create a better patient
experience, resulting in improved
medication adherence, retention, and
ultimately patient outcomes.
Patient Engagement Technology

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How Specialty Pharmacies Can Improve Medication
Adherence and Patient Outcomes
Using patient engagement technology,
specialty pharmacies can support
improved care in the following ways:
 Streamline the process for getting a
patient started on treatment.
 Deliver educational resources and
medication adherence reminders.
 Automate refill and delivery notifications
to create staff efficiencies.
 Increase patient satisfaction, retention,
and patient outcomes.
Patient Engagement Technology

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Streamline the Process
for Starting a Patient on Treatment

7. © Health Catalyst. Confidential and Proprietary.
Streamline the Process for Starting a Patient on Treatment
Today’s healthcare consumer expects a high
level of convenience and flexibility in their
care. Specialty pharmacies must quickly
establish a positive relationship with patients
through proactive, relevant, and timely
outreach.
Using technology, pharmacy care teams can
automate outreach to a new patient, facilitate
the collection of missing insurance
information, communicate patient assistance
programs, and provide medication pick-up or
delivery notifications.
Healthcare Consumer Expectations

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Deliver Educational Content and
Medication Adherence Reminders

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Deliver Educational Content and Medication Adherence Reminders
Once the patient is ready to begin taking their
medication, patient engagement technology
can deliver educational resources directly to
their phone. Engagement tools can also share
videos, PDFs, and links to brand websites to
ensure the patient has the information they
need to initiate treatment.
Additionally, ongoing medication adherence
reminders ensure patients are taking their
medications as prescribed over time. When
patients have information and support around
adhering to their medications, quality of life
and clinical outcomes improve.
Engagement Tools

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Automate Medication Refill
and Delivery Notifications

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Automate Medication Refill and Delivery Notifications
Many specialty medications are delivered to patients’
homes and may require specific handling instructions,
which require careful planning. If a pharmacy is using
phone-based outreach to complete this task, extended
rounds of phone tag could delay therapies and create
inefficiencies. In addition, patients can forget or
misunderstand delivery information, which can increase
the risk of theft or loss through improper storage and
thus a waste of expensive treatments.
Patient engagement technology offers secure messaging
protocols that can automatically prompt patients to
specify when they would like medications delivered and
remind them on the day of delivery. This automation
creates efficiencies for pharmacy teams and frees up time
for care teams to focus on high-impact patient support.
Patient Prompts

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Increase Patient Satisfaction,
Retention, and Patient Outcomes

13. © Health Catalyst. Confidential and Proprietary.
Increase Patient Satisfaction, Retention, and Patient Outcomes
Engagement tools cans also send check-in surveys, allowing patients to report
medication adherence issues or side effects they may be experiencing. These
responses alert care teams to prioritize patient outreach to patients who need
additional support.
In addition to improving medication adherence, patient engagement technology can
significantly impact the patient experience, improving satisfaction, retention, and
ultimately creating better patient outcomes. These tools can also give care teams a
more complete picture of the patient regarding medication adherence, effectiveness,
health changes, new symptoms, and disease flare ups.
Finally, staying connected to patients on a regular basis helps individuals feel
supported and empowered in their care, increases retention, and helps care teams
provide more comprehensive care.
Interested in learning more? Download the case study, “Ensuring Convenient Refill
and Delivery of Specialty Medications.”
Patient Engagement Technology

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1 How Proactive Patient Communication Solves
Medication Non-Adherence
3 How Managing Chronic Conditions Is Streamlined
with Digital Technology
2 Digital Patient Engagement: Best Practices to Drive
an Optimal Patient Experience and Outcomes
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