CASE STUDY
www.cps.com
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those in the oncology and rheumatology space, that patients were waiting weeks before
they started therapy.”
Plus, since specialty medications are often very expensive, most patients need financial
assistance above and beyond insurance coverage. “That’s just another process to be
managed and can be a barrier to treatment,” says Cleveland. “And while our providers did
what they could — they simply didn’t have the dedicated staff necessary to handle all the
administration that comes along with specialty medications.” That’s why he decided to
explore how Union Health could establish an onsite specialty pharmacy to elevate
patient care.
THE SOLUTION
n A Partnership That Paved the Way for Patient-Centered Specialty Pharmacy Services
After conversations with a number of potential partners, Union Health ultimately chose
CPS Solutions, LLC (CPS), one of the nation’s largest pharmacy and hospital services
providers, to build out and manage their specialty pharmacy. “One of the things that stood
out about CPS was their expertise and relationships with payors and manufacturers,”
Cleveland says. Most payors require dual accreditation for specialty pharmacies to gain
access to their specialty networks and limited distribution drugs — and CPS’ team of
experts helps systems like Union Health earn those accreditations rapidly. “I just knew
my team and I would not have the time to navigate that piece of the puzzle, so it was
important for me.”
While payor access is one of the keys to a successful specialty pharmacy — having the
people and processes in place to help patients is also critical. That’s why CPS hires and
integrates pharmacists and liaisons in clinics to work directly with staff and providers
under Union Health’s brand. The benefit of CPS’ locally-focused approach is that when
one of the specialty pharmacy team reaches out to patients — they know they are talking
to someone from their community. “We’ve found that having a local Terre Haute patient
talking to a Terre Haute-based pharmacist or liaison has made a difference in building
trust and helping them understand we have a specialty pharmacy right here onsite,” says
Senior Vice President, Zel Skrtic, PharmD, of Onsite Operations for CPS.
Clinical Operations Manager, Kathy Canup, PharmD, who grew up in Wabash County and
has been with the health system for 13 years, oversees the specialty pharmacy operations.
She and her team take the time to work with patients to get medications into their hands
as quickly as possible. “We get prior authorizations and do what we can to make the
medication affordable through insurance, copay cards, financial assistance programs, or
grants,” Canup says. Beyond that, specialty pharmacists and liaisons support patient needs
— walking them through treatment plans, helping them manage refills, and more.
THE RESULTS
n Fast, Affordable Access to Critical Specialty Medications
Union Health Specialty Pharmacy opened its doors in February of 2021. “Once we signed
the contract — it was pretty much plug and play from our
standpoint,” says Cleveland. CPS handled everything, including
absorbing the upfront risk from a capital and operational staffing
perspective. “Hospitals our size don’t often have an onsite
Hospitals our size
don’t often have
an onsite specialty
pharmacy. Being
able to help our
patients access
and manage
these complex
medications
improve their
experience and
outcomes — and
that’s something
we couldn’t have
done without the
help of CPS.”
Dan Cleveland, PharmD, BCPS
System Director of Pharmacy
Services
~ Union Health