Dec 11, 2018
Visante CEO includes continuing drug shortages, 340B Program legislation and escalating drug costs as top concerns for hospital leadership in 2019
MINNEAPOLIS – Visante, Inc.’s James Jorgenson, RPh, FASHP, annually issues a list of the top ten challenges facing hospital and health system pharmacy. For 2019, healthcare reform tops the list, with industry difficulties such as drug shortages, the opioid epidemic and worker shortage as additional challenges for hospital leadership.
A major concern addressed in the article is the rising cost of drugs and in particular the costs of providing specialty pharmaceuticals to patients. Specialty pharmaceuticals are high cost drugs used to treat complex, chronic patient conditions, and currently comprise approximately 35% of the total drug spend and yet represent less than 3% of prescription volume. Specialty medicines are just one element of rising drug costs, as described by Jorgenson.
“Looking ahead to 2019, hospital leadership continues to face increasing financial pressure while working to provide excellent patient care. A major opportunity for hospitals is to consider pharmacy a business within the overall business of healthcare, as pharmacy is a major driver of cost savings, revenue potential and patient outcomes,” explained Jorgenson. He continued, “We look forward to helping our clients advance the business of pharmacy in their organizations.”
Jorgenson’s full list of challenges in 2019 includes healthcare reform, continuing drug shortages, escalating drug costs, disruptive innovation, sterile compounding, workforce issues, 340B Program, opioid epidemic, expansion of value-based payment models by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and prescription benefit manager (PBM) evolution toward new delivery models.
This annual list is developed based on Jorgenson’s personal observations of industry trends, experiences with Visante’s clients, discussions with colleagues, and monitoring of legislation, trade journals, and local and national news sources. The full article is available at visanteinc.com/FILL IN LINK.
About Visante
Visante is a multidisciplinary, clinician-composed consulting firm specializing in the business of pharmacy and healthcare compliance. By diagnosing and solving complex problems, we help hospitals, health systems, pharmaceutical companies, and managed care firms more effectively deliver compliant healthcare and pharmacy services. Our 60-plus consultants include experienced pharmacists, nurses, physicians, IT professionals and business experts. Learn more at https://www.visanteinc.com/top-10-issues-facing-hospital-pharmacy-in-2019/
Contact:
Kirsten Galloway
Director of Communications
Visante
612-850-0897
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