Southeastern Grocers launches specialty pharmacy

Expanding its health care offering, Southeastern Grocers has added a specialty pharmacy called Pathstone Health Services.

Jacksonville, Fla.-based Pathstone provides pharmacy care and support for people with complex and chronic diseases, such as cancer, hepatitis, multiple sclerosis and Crohn’s disease, among others. Its services are available through all Bi-Lo, Winn-Dixie, Harveys and Fresco y Más pharmacies.

Customized care offered by Pathstone’s specially trained pharmacists includes personalized check-ins, reminders and expert advice on medication side effects and potential contraindications.

Other specialty pharmacy services include free prescription delivery to a patient’s home or preferred Southeastern Grocers pharmacy, the ability to track delivery of medications and convenient prescription refills. Pathstone also offers co-payment and financial assistance to help patients rein in out-of-pocket costs and ease the financial burden of their specialty drug therapy.

“We are excited to introduce Pathstone Health Services’ new range of specialty pharmacy services to our customers throughout the Southeast including our in-store pharmacies. We have listened to our customers and know there are medical conditions that require a specialty pharmacy in the communities that we serve,” Gayle Shields, vice president of pharmacy and operations for Southeastern Grocers, said in a statement. “We want our customers to know they can count on us to deliver customized specialty pharmacy care including medications, clinical programs, financial assistance and adherence monitoring all with convenient delivery options.”

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Southeastern Grocers noted that Pathstone expands its current menu of retail pharmacy services, which include free health screenings and consultations; vaccinations; free select antibiotics, diabetes and hypertension medications; and an everyday-low-price drug program providing generic medicines at $4 for a 30-day supply and $10 for a 90-day supply.

Specialty pharmaceuticals are the fastest growing segment of the prescription drug market. Because of the high cost of these medications and the special handling and support services they require, retail pharmacy operators have partnered with — and in some cases acquired — specialty pharmacy providers. The market is led by pharmacy benefit managers, health insurers and large drug chains.

According to the Philadelphia-based Drug Channels Institute, prescription dispensing sales for specialty drugs at retail, mail, long-term care and specialty pharmacies last year totaled $138 billion, up almost 9%. Specialty drugs represented about a third of the pharmacy industry’s prescription dispensing revenue in 2017, and Drug Channels projects that percentage to climb to 47% by 2022.

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