Prime discusses leading medically integrated dispensing model at Asembia 

Connecting specialty pharmacies and providers to unlock optimal care and value

May 2, 2024
Marci Conlin and Christie Smith at Asembia

Marci Conlin, vice president of pharmacy network management at Prime Therapeutics and Kyle Verley, director of network management at Prime Therapeutics, present at Asembia.

This week, Prime Therapeutics/Magellan Rx Management (Prime/MRx) experts Marci Conlin, vice president of  pharmacy network management, and Kyle Verley, director of network management, took the stage at the annual Asembia Specialty Pharmacy Summit to deliver a session titled “Medically Integrated Dispensing Services: Creating Value to Patients, Payers and Providers.”

With a medically integrated dispensing (MID) model, medications are dispensed at a pharmacy within the physician’s office or within the hospital setting, allowing pharmacists to view medical records and collaborate with providers. The pharmacist has real-time access to a patient’s electronic medical records (EMR) — showing lab results, provider notes, side effects and call logs — and can communicate with the patient’s provider on all drug concerns.

This was a focal point in a recent Pharmacy Times article featuring co-presenter Christie Smith, PharmD, MBA, vice president of pharmacy and payer strategy at Cencora, sharing how MID works, as well as an article in the American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC) about how MID can help lower cost of care.

For a patient with a complex condition such as cystic fibrosis or a cancer diagnosis, the journey from diagnosis through treatment with multiple specialty medications is often fraught with barriers created by a fragmented system — one that has potential to impede an optimal care plan. To improve upon the traditional approach, Prime/MRx has reimagined the patient care journey by uniting care teams, resulting in a better patient experience and smarter treatment plan.

“There’s immense potential for improved outcomes when we partner with providers,” Conlin said. “This is one way Prime/MRx is reimagining care to improve the patient experience from when a medicine is prescribed to when it’s filled and beyond, all while we eliminate complexities and reduce waste.”

High points of the presentation included:

  • Managed care specialty dispensing strategies to manage specialty spend.
  • Approaches to implement a MID specialty pharmacy network that includes a physician office-based and health system MID sites.
  • Strategies to disintermediate care barriers that exist in the care and payment model.
  • Integrated dispensing outcomes including high member satisfaction.

Using a MID model, Prime/MRx’s revolutionary IntegratedRx® Oncology and Cystic Fibrosis programs have potential to improve patient outcomes, reduce costs and improve patient satisfaction. In fact, patient satisfaction scores are up to two times better than with a traditional central fill model. Further, IntegratedRx® – Oncology has achieved $5,000 annual savings per utilizing member and $1,000 total savings per claim1 — a boon for helping get a handle on managing the ultra-high cost of emerging therapies.

Traditional versus IntegratedRx dispensing models

Prime’s integrated model

This type of whole-person treatment helps Prime/MRx fulfill its purpose of reimagining pharmacy management to provide the same care we would want for our loved ones. Prime/MRx remains dedicated to delivering intelligently designed experiences and pharmacy solutions that simplify health care, improve the patient experience and drive down total cost of care.

Learn more about Prime/MRx’s MID solution,  IntegratedRx®, and the value it brings to members and clients.


1. Claims processed from IntegratedRx® network pharmacies compared to Central Fill. 

Related news

Stories

July 22, 2024

Introducing the latest issue of our medical and pharmacy benefit management report

The summer 2024 issue of the Magellan Rx Report provides insights on the industry’s most groundbreaking managed care solutions in some of the most complex areas of health care

Stories

July 18, 2024

Specialty drug trend forecasted to drop for employer groups, clinical experts say

Introduction of Humira® and Stelara® biosimilars contribute to continued decline in the autoimmune – anti-inflammatory trend

Stories

July 16, 2024

Prime/Magellan Rx earns top score on the Disability Equality Index

For the second consecutive year, Prime Therapeutics/Magellan Rx Management received a score of 100 on the Disability Equality Index®, which benchmarks disability workplace inclusion