Five Roles of the Specialty Pharmacist

Specialty pharmacists play a large role in helping patients manage their complex or rare diseases. Whether reaching out to a patient who consistently refills late, taking extra time to review disease guidelines, or helping a patient find copay assistance to start their regimen, these activities help create better outcomes for patients.  
 

Here are five roles a specialty pharmacist has in managing patient care. 
 

1. Reviewing prescriptions. Specialty pharmacists help ensure patients receive accurate and appropriate treatments. The pharmacist will review the prescription using their training and knowledge to prevent any errors. If any part of the prescription is unclear or incorrect, the pharmacist will reach out to the prescriber to clarify details before further processing it. The pharmacist also makes sure any injectable or infused medication has the correct supplies to properly administer the medication. 

2. Facilitating adherence. Adherence is often the most important factor in achieving desirable clinical outcomes. The job of a specialty pharmacist is to help ensure new fills or refills are processed in a timely manner and processing issues are resolved to avoid missed doses. The specialty pharmacist can counsel the patient on their first fill, or any time they notice a patient struggling to refill on time. 

In certain disease states such as HIV, adherence levels of at least 95% generally are the accepted benchmark standard for achieving successful virologic outcomes. While it may not be as strict in other disease states, understanding the importance of patient adherence allows specialty pharmacists to educate patients about not missing doses. 

3. Managing drug costs. With the high price tag associated with specialty medications, the pharmacy should explore all options to help find affordable care for patients. This search includes reaching out to various drug foundations or copay assistance programs and assisting patients through enrollment processes.  

If a prior authorization is necessary, the pharmacist’s diligent efforts to initiate the process and educate the patient on next steps will allow for a smoother course. Many specialty pharmacies offer resources for patients to explore various financial assistance programs. 

4. Monitoring drug interactions. Maintaining current medical profiles of a patient’s allergies, medications (including over-the-counter, herbal, and nutraceutical products), and various conditions is an important role of the specialty pharmacist. Many specialty medications have interactions with other therapies a patient may be taking. Specialty pharmacists can use drug databases, such as Clinical Pharmacology, LexiComp, or Facts & Comparisons to verify information. 

5. Managing adverse effects. Specialty pharmacists should counsel patients at the time of their initial dispense and throughout their therapy. Many specialty medications, including oncology medications, have a lot of side effects. Helping patients by setting expectations about potential adverse events and, providing counseling and guidance when they do occur, will allow patients to better manage their therapy and wellbeing. 

To learn more about specialty pharmacy at AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy, download our welcome guide, available in English and Spanish.  

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