Five Ways AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy Supports Patients with Psoriasis
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Imagine having an incurable illness that causes uncomfortable symptoms, sometimes leading to anxiety and insomnia. Consider battling the stigma as you wear this illness on the outside for all to see. Those diagnosed with psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory condition, often are faced with an itchy, burning rash, as well as the fear that others will mistakenly think they have a contagious infection.
Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are chronic, or long-term, conditions. They cause swelling in the body. Psoriasis causes itching, swelling and redness in the skin. Up to 30% of people with psoriasis develop psoriatic arthritis. This causes painful, stiff and swollen joints. These conditions can get better or worse over time. Starting treatment soon after diagnosis can help patients improve their overall health.
Treatment depends on a few different factors – how severe the symptoms are, how much of the body they cover, the location of lesions and more. Luckily, with recent advances in treatment and specialty pharmacists who are versed in the latest therapies, AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy can help patients achieve the best outcomes.
Here are five ways we support patients with psoriasis.
1. Specialty360 Therapy Teams. Our Specialty360 Therapy Teams consist of specially trained professionals who deliver the clinical expertise patients depend on when it comes to their rare and complex conditions and the medications that treat them. We have a specific team focused on providing above-and-beyond care for patients with chronic inflammatory diseases – including psoriasis.
2. Disease-focused clinical management program. At AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy, we support patients through a patient management program called Connected Care. Our Connected Care programs are disease-specific and tailored to support patients with various chronic conditions. We provide valuable patient and provider interventions based on reported side effects, disease symptoms and adherence concerns.
Our Connected Care programs are developed with a branching logic built in, meaning each conversation with a psoriasis patient is patient-centered and can change based on how the patient is doing and what they may need.
3. Proactive patient outreaches. Research suggests that up to 40% of patients with psoriasis do not use their medications as prescribed.2 AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy has specialty-trained pharmacists who take a proactive approach to encourage medication adherence in patients with psoriasis through detailed initial counseling and refill reminder calls. They also support patients by counseling on barriers (e.g., high cost of prescription, not finishing prescription, forgetting to take as prescribed, etc.) which may prevent adherence to their therapies.
4. Patient resources and education. Sometimes after leaving the doctor’s office, patients can feel overwhelmed. At AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy, we provide psoriasis patients with various resources to assist with education. Our specialty-trained pharmacists take time to provide detailed education on how to take their medication, what to expect, and why it is important to take their medication as prescribed during their first fill and each month as needed. In addition, our Specialty Condition Guides – also available in Spanish – help patients learn about the complete specialized care we offer for many chronic conditions and rare diseases.
5. Partnerships and advocacy. Working closely to connect patients with community advocacy organizations is also a large part of how we support our patients with psoriasis. Patient advocacy groups such as Creaky Joints offer invaluable resources for patients. Recently, we participated in the Creaky Joints podcast called Getting Clear on Psoriasis, a podcast series about what it takes to live better with psoriasis — from experts who treat it and patients who live with it. We also interviewed a psoriasis patient to help our team members better understand what it is like to live with psoriasis. Finally, partnering with manufacturers, payers and providers to provide the patient with the best outcomes is also how we support patients with their psoriasis to live their best lives.
Sources
2 Augustin M, Holland B, Dartsch D, et al. Adherence in the treatment of psoriasis: a systematic review. Dermatology. 2011;222(4):363-374.
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