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Hy-Vee Forms New Company to Offer Specialty Pharmacy Services

Hy-Vee here announced Thursday it is forming a new company, Hy-Vee Pharmacy Solutions, to provide specialty pharmacy services through Hy-Vee retail stores.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Hy-Vee here announced Thursday it is forming a new company, Hy-Vee Pharmacy Solutions, to provide specialty pharmacy services through Hy-Vee retail stores. Hy-Vee currently operates 226 retail pharmacy locations in eight states.

The specialty pharmacy company is a joint venture with Amber Pharmacy, a privately owned company in Omaha, Neb., that manages chronic diseases and complex therapies.

Hy-Vee Pharmacy Solutions will support a wide range of complex, chronic conditions including oncology, blood disorders, Crohn's disease, growth hormone, hemophilia, hepatitis, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and other chronic conditions. Because medications for these conditions are injected, infused, high-cost, or otherwise difficult to manage, most retail pharmacies refer patients to one of a few specialty pharmacy providers that have expertise in this area.

The specialty pharmacy provider will help patients manage these conditions by assigning a health care team – an enrollment specialist, pharmacist, patient care coordinator, and billing coordinator – to develop an individualized plan for the patient's clinical care, insurance and financial administrative assistance, educational materials and resources, and follow-up care.

This comprehensive approach allows patients to obtain all their medications and services from one source, resulting in greater adherence to the prescribed therapy, improved health, and faster recovery.

Hy-Vee described the venture as a first of its kind collaboration for the food industry.

"Hy-Vee Pharmacy Solutions builds a bridge between two different segments of the pharmacy business," said Bob Egeland, vice president of pharmacy operations for Hy-Vee, in a press statement. "We're bringing together experts from retail pharmacy and specialty pharmacy to offer more convenient, more personalized service.”

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