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A study presented at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (ACMP) Managed Care and Specialty Pharmacy 2019 Annual Meeting showed that an oral oncology split-fill program implemented by AllianceRx Walgreens Prime resulted in improved adherence and reduced pharmacy costs and medication waste.
Between September 2015 and August 2017, 2363 patients who were new to oral oncology therapy were enrolled in the split-fill program. Rather than receiving a month’s supply of medication, patients received between 14–16 days of treatment; outcomes such as discontinuation rates, patient-reported side effects, estimated pharmacy costs, and potential waste were then assessed.
Pharmacy staff stayed in touch with patients throughout the study to monitor patient adherence and side effects. “With a split-fill program, providers have a pharmacy partner to help monitor and counsel patients and the flexibility to change doses or medications with minimal waste,” said Rina Shah, vice president, pharmacy operations and specialty at Walgreens.
Results showed that in the first 3 months, the implementation of a split-fill program saved payers an average of $2724 per month when one of the study medications was prescribed. The findings were further verified when patients whose pharmacy benefits included the split-fill program were compared with those whose benefits did not include one; results showed that payers could expect a 14-day savings of $2782 per member by implementing the split-fill option based on the medications used in the study.
“This study demonstrates our oral oncology split-fill program provides increased savings and improved adherence, underscoring our commitment to helping payers reduce pharmacy costs while clinically managing patients,” said Rick Miller, vice president, clinical and professional services at AllianceRx Walgreens Prime. “We continue to expand the number of medications available under our split-fill program to support patients and maximize the investments health plans make in their patients.”
For more information visit alliancerxwp.com.
This article originally appeared on MPR
