Simple Technology Extends Patient’s Time on Therapy with Specialty Medications for up to 3.5 Months

PHOENIX, July 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Avella Specialty Pharmacy has just published new data showing that automated patient engagement, in combination with patient monitoring and trigger-based pharmacist interventions, have a significant impact on patient adherence and persistence.

Data for nearly 18,000 patients of Avella Specialty Pharmacy was analyzed over a period of 13 months. Patients who joined the CareSpeak patient engagement program and were on it for at least three months were compared to a control group of patients who were not on the program and then segmented by disease state. The study design was reviewed and approved by the Internal Review Board at the University of Arizona, College of Pharmacy. The analysis demonstrated an improved adherence in patients with cancer, HIV and inflammatory conditions. Patients also reported very high satisfaction rates (+90%) with the program’s ease of use and how helpful the interventions were in managing their health.

“These results were very encouraging,” said Eric Sredzinski, EVP of Clinical Affairs and Quality Assurance for Avella. “They show us that using simple technology solutions in combination with human intervention can have a significant impact on our patients’ therapy adherence, which can lead to improved outcomes.”

Patients were enrolled by CareSpeak staff members via a live call, and on-boarded to an interactive text messaging program that provided patients with timely medication reminders, refill reminders, periodic adherence feedback, and optional clinical assessment questionnaires, lifestyle / nutrition tips, and emotional support messages. In addition to the automated interaction via two-way SMS, patients could also have an SMS chat with the call center staff, who helped with any non-clinical issues (e.g. change of mobile phone number), and/or a pharmacist who would assist with any clinical support issues.

Patients with inflammatory conditions also had the ability to self-report various data points using standardized clinical assessment tools. For example, patients had the option to fill out the Rapid 3 survey for the assessment of physical function, a patient assessment for pain, and global health. Depending on the patient’s response, or lack thereof, a notification was triggered to the pharmacist to intervene, which could lead to the prevention of ER visits and hospitalizations. Similar assessment tools are used for HCV, oncology and other patient populations.

“We enjoy working with Avella because they understand the importance of incremental innovation,” said CareSpeak’s CEO Serge Loncar. “With the technology landscape constantly changing, many organizations miss the opportunity to make significant impacts on what matters today by focusing too much on the emerging hot-topic tech of the day. Using simple solutions that work within existing patient behavior right now can have significant clinical and commercial impact. This study proves that.”

For more details and a short video explaining the program please visit: www.avella.com/carespeak

Contact: Todd Speranzo, Todd.Speranzo@avella.com (623) 742-1719

About Avella Specialty Pharmacy
Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Avella Specialty Pharmacy is a National Accredited Specialty Pharmacy, providing individualized care and support to patients since 1996. Avella’s clinical pharmacists and staff members are experts in managing complex disease states and providing compassionate care. The company offers a nationwide distribution service to complement its retail locations. In 2016, Avella was named Specialty Pharmacy of the Year by NASP, a nationally recognized pharmacy trade committee. Inc. Magazine’s 2017 list of the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the country included Avella for the eleventh consecutive year and also recognized Avella as the fastest-growing woman-led company in 2015. In addition, the Arizona Corporate Excellence Awards named Avella Specialty Pharmacy as the second fastest-growing private company based in the state in 2016. For more information, please visit www.avella.com.

About CareSpeak Communications
CareSpeak’s HIPAA compliant and HITRUST certified Automated Patient Engagement Platform helps patients be more compliant with their medical therapy and supports them throughout their healthcare journey via interactive messaging, and care coordination interventions. CareSpeak develops custom programs for pharmaceutical manufacturers, specialty pharmacies, health plans, as well as clinicians at some of the leading medical centers. CareSpeak has demonstrated clinical efficacy and positive commercial impact across a wide range of disease verticals from coronary heart disease and diabetes, to transplant and oncology patients. CareSpeak Communications, Inc. is a privately held company, headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey, USA, and with offices in Zagreb, Croatia (EU). Visit www.carespeak.com for more information.

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SOURCE Avella Specialty Pharmacy