Michigan Medicine Reports Success In Expanding Specialty Pharmacy Services

Michigan Medicine has spent at least $ 60 million over the last two years to become a major player in specialty pharmaceutical delivery.  No numbers, but Michigan Medicine has declared specialty pharmaceuticals a 'strategic focus'.

This report completely ignores one very important issue:  Is it fair, proper, and efficient for a completely tax exempt organization like Michigan Medical to dominate a field which once was the purview of conventional businesses?  A secondary issue is the tail wagging the dog: Michigan Medical is now far larger than the University it is supposedly a component of.

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/pharmacy/michigan-medicine-makes-specialty-pharmacy-a-strategic-focus.html

Michigan Medicine makes specialty pharmacy a strategic focus
By Kelly Gooch - 30 January 2024

As the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have lessened, officials at Ann Arbor-based Michigan Medicine, which includes University of Michigan Health and the university's medical school, have been able to invest in innovative care, including expanding its specialty and mail-order pharmacy program. Among the goals were increasing the number of prescriptions it fills annually through its in-house pharmacy, as well as reducing the time it takes to fill prescriptions for patients.

"Our specialty pharmacy serves patients with complex and rare diseases — and as medicine advances and more patients seek care from Michigan Medicine, our pharmacy must also expand to meet growing needs," Dana Habers, who currently serves as chief innovation officer and COO for pharmacy at University of Michigan Health, said in a 2022 news release.

Roughly 18 to 24 months ago, the organization decided to increase these efforts. In March 2022, the university board of regents approved the $6 million purchase of an industrial building and land in Dexter, Mich., where the University of Michigan Health specialty pharmacy operates, as well as the $52 million renovation to grow pharmacy services and update the facility.

Michigan Medicine also announced in March 2023 that it would deploy Zipline's new home delivery service to bring prescriptions to patients around Washtenaw County, which is scheduled to start in 2025. A news release issued at the time states that the health system expects to double the number of prescriptions filled each year through the existing in-house pharmacy.

Additionally, Michigan Medicine developed an innovative model that involved integrating pharmacists into clinics to assist patients with specialty medication education, counseling and other support, David Miller, MD, president of University of Michigan Health, told Becker's.

All of the specialty pharmacy efforts are part of the organization's strategic focus.

"If I were to compare 2023 to 2021 and 2022, [what has changed the most is] the ability of the organization to not have to be constantly reactive to the pandemic and instead be able to pivot and be more proactive [in terms of] strategic priorities," Dr. Miller said.

Michigan Medicine has been able to gauge the success of expanding specialty pharmacy services through research being conducted by the university's Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. The institute found that Michigan Medicine's specialty pharmacy services, which include about 5,000 patients, reduced unadjusted hospitalizations, improved provider experience and saw no change in medication adherence with specialty medication fills.

"As an academic institution, we are constantly using data to improve patient quality and experience," Dr. Miller said. "We looked at patient outcomes, and we saw the time to fill [specialty pharmacy medications] was improved by up to a few weeks by providing this service directly to our patients."

Looking ahead in 2024, University of Michigan Health continues to focus on strengthening its current delivery system and innovation, Dr. Miller said.

University of Michigan Health includes the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital, University Hospital, the Frankel Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Health-West, University of Michigan Health-Sparrow and the Rogel Cancer Center.