By: Alexandra Murphy – Becker’s Hospital Review
Avita Health System, which operates two critical access hospitals and one small acute care hospital in rural Ohio, has helped patients access $10.8 million worth of medications through a program launched in 2022, according to a May 29 article on the the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ website.
Galion, Ohio-based Avita’s program launched in 2022 after staff noticed patients struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for older adults who had been relying on free medication samples. Today, the program is being run out of three clinics and includes pharmacists and a pharmacy technician to help patients navigate complex assistance programs.
Brad Schwartz, Avita’s pharmacy clinical services manager, said patients and providers often know little about navigating assistance programs, copay cards or vouchers, but pharmacists are the ones who step in.
“It’s a sustainable, billable technician model with pharmacist support for things that may come up that are outside of the scope of the technician,” Mr. Schwartz said. “That coordination of care involves patient assistance, education about benefits. … When they need to do therapeutic interchange, that’s when they’ll bring in the pharmacist, either virtually or in person, to review.”
The program has helped support patients in accessing brand-name anticoagulants, insulin and treatments for kidney disease, pulmonary disease and heart failure.
The health system also participates in a pharmacist-led repository that collects unused medications, including insulin, and redistributes them to patients who are experiencing delays or shortages, the article said.
