Study finds benefit in UMass Memorial-Shields partnership
Photo | Grant Welker
UMass Memorial Medical Center's University Campus in Worcester
A specialty pharmacy partnership between UMass Memorial Medical Center and Shields Health Solutions has brought significant cost savings for patients, according to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association's Network Open.
The study covered a three-year period ending in 2018 and examined patients living with a range of chronic illnesses, including cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. When those patients filled prescriptions at a specialty pharmacy run by the Worcester hospital and the Stoughton-based specialty pharmacy company, average monthly medical cost savings was $1,274 for every Medicare patient.
The specialty pharmacy arrangement includes closer coordinating care compared to when clinics and pharmacies are separate entities, the study said.
The study was performed at UMass Memorial's Medicare accountable care organization, which has more than 47,000 members and includes seven hospitals, four federally qualified health centers and 60 medical practices.
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