STOUGHTON, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–In an article published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Open (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2771388), a three-year study (2016-2018) revealed that patients living with chronic illnesses such as cancer, transplants, rheumatoid arthritis, and other diseases were associated with significantly lower total medical expenditure when filling their prescriptions at the hospital’s own specialty pharmacy, rather than using an outside specialty pharmacy.

Specifically, the article illuminates the financial impact of a clinic and specialty pharmacy closely coordinating care compared to when clinics and pharmacies are separate entities. According to the JAMA Network Open article, integrated hospital clinic/hospital specialty pharmacy care resulted in an average net medical cost savings of $1,274 for every Medicare patient, every month.

With its focus on patient medication adherence, clinical pharmacist support, patient convenience, and active coordination with the physician/care team, the specialty pharmacy care model at UMass Memorial Medical Center has