Page 20 - 2017 V1 InsideOut

ExecutiveCorner
Trends and innovations in uencing specialty pharmaceuticals’ delivery
Challenges for Health Systems
by Matt Johnson
16 | InsideOut
With the recent administration change in Washington, the possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act and the subsequent impact on existing policies, the one predictable for healthcare systems is that change will occur. Speci cs of that change, however, remain elusive.
Although reimbursement models are evolving, health systems are better posi- tioned than many physician practices for provider-administered specialty pharma- ceutical care. Physician of ces, in theory, can treat a patient for less cost on a fee- for-service basis; but in the continuum of patient care — especially for patients with comorbid diseases — additional services are needed, and those services are separate from physician practices. Patients often go to various locations
for diagnostic tests, including lab and imaging, and those test results must be transferred and maintained. Multiple