Patient Care

The connected CVS Specialty^® model provides a comprehensive view of patients with complex care needs and offers unmatched network access, proactive care management, complete infusion care and innovative digital tools.

Our integrated pharmacy benefit management, specialty, and retail pharmacy model offers patients greater convenience and support by moving beyond the traditional standalone specialty model to address the challenges of patient care. Patients can access their medications where they prefer without giving up the comprehensive clinical support they need from our specialized pharmacists and nurses dedicated to specific conditions.

Unmatched access

Specialty Connect^® offers members convenient access to specialty pharmacy services, with skilled clinical care and counseling provided by our Specialty CareTeam. Patients can drop off or pick up specialty prescriptions at more than 9,900 CVS Pharmacy locations, or choose to have medications delivered to their homes or a location of their choosing.* They can also change their preferred delivery or pick-up location temporarily if traveling and as frequently as needed.

Regardless of where they choose to obtain their medication, they receive comprehensive clinical support from over 11,000 colleagues within CVS Specialty and Specialty Operations. Patients can also synchronize all of their non-specialty prescriptions for pick up on the same day, which can help provide extra support to the many specialty patients who also take non-specialty medications.11K+ colleagues in CVS Specialty and Specialty Operations: CVS Health, 2020. (P1004330320). Synchronized non-specialty prescriptions where allowed by law. **Where allowed by law. In-store pick up is currently not available in Oklahoma. Puerto Rico requires first-fill prescriptions to be transmitted directly to the dispensing specialty pharmacy. Products are dispensed by CVS Specialty and certain services are only accessed by calling CVS Specialty directly. Certain specialty medication may not qualify. Services are also available at Long’s Drugs locations.

Using Specialty Connect, these patients have convenient access to specialty medications without having to contact a specialty pharmacy separately.

Proactive care management

AccordantCare^® has highly skilled nurses with deep experience helping patients manage chronic, complex and rare conditions. Together with multi-disciplinary CareTeams they help support patients through some of the most difficult times in their lives, so they get the most from their care. They do this by helping patients manage their conditions, close potential gaps in care and avoid costly complications that can derail care, improving health outcomes and while also helping control client costs.

We use Epic, one of the largest electronic health records vendors in the industry, to help improve connectivity with health systems and more than 372K providers.www.epic.com, 2020.

Complete infusion care

Coram^®, a CVS Health^® company, delivers nutrition and infusion therapies and education and support services through its specially trained, high-acuity nurses that are designed to support better clinical outcomes and lower overall health care costs for payors. Coram nurses conduct visits in patients’ homes or at one of Coram’s nationwide ambulatory infusion suites. Coram is the only national home infusion provider to have earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Home Care Accreditation.

Patient outcomes demonstrate high quality of Coram care:Readmissions rates are all-cause unless noted otherwise. Coram National Home Infusion Results, January–December 2019. Clinical outcomes are self-reported and documented from Coram’s Patient Record System HC360. Comparable industry benchmarks are not available. (P1004360320). Coram National Home Infusion Results, average patient satisfaction rate, independently monitored by Press Ganey, Inc., January-December 2019. (P1004340320)

200K patients supported by Coram nurses, annuallyCoram book of business data. Coram Finance for year-end, 2019. (P1005010420)

4.51% unplanned patient readmission rate

94% positive patient satisfaction past 9 years

200K patients supported by Coram nurses, annually7
4.51% unplanned patient readmission rate
94% positive patient satisfaction past 9 years

Connected digital tools

Innovative digital tools provide a more accessible, connected, and personal health experience, and intelligent medication monitoring delivers personalized interventions throughout the duration of a patient’s treatment, in their preferred channel, to ensure appropriate adherence while mitigating waste for overall health care savings.

Patients can manage their specialty medications in real-time using the CVS Specialty mobile app, which offers convenience and adherence support with features such scan to refill and medication reminders. Patients can also use secure messaging to contact their CareTeam with any questions to make an impact on adherence — 84% of patients engaged with secure messaging are optimally adherent. Additional tools supporting care management and improved experience include symptom tracking, wearables and remote monitoring. Digital tools help patients get the support they need, when they need it, in a convenient, accessible environment for better costs and care.

CVS Specailty continues to focus on digital innovation — investing $50M over the past 5 years.

Have a question about our Specialty programs? Ask Us