Temple University Hospital improves drug access, revenue with specialty pharmacy
Temple University Hospital partnered with Omnicell to launch an entity-owned specialty pharmacy in just five months, increasing sales by 45%.
View/Download Case Study The Challenge
Temple University Hospital consists of multiple campuses located in North Philadelphia. The hospital’s main campus is a 700-bed tertiary care facility and Level 1 trauma center that serves more than 750,000 residents and receives approximately 85,000 ED visits per year.
Temple’s patient population is largely disadvantaged and impacted by multiple social determinants of health (SDOH) issues. These patients have twice as many comorbidities as patients in neighboring zip codes and a life expectancy nearly 10 years lower.
These challenges make Temple’s patients highly dependent on prescription medications, particularly specialty drugs. During an internal analysis, Temple discovered its reliance on contract specialty pharmacies often resulted in slow response times to patient questions, delaying the dispensing of specialty medications by as much as 30 days.
To improve response times, Temple sought to enhance integration and communication between pharmacists, physicians, and patients by bringing the specialty pharmacy function in house. The initiative would also create a new revenue stream for the health system and result in significant savings by eliminating contract pharmacy dispensing fees and optimizing 340B discounts.
Why Temple Invested in Specialty Pharmacy
Temple University Hospital consists of multiple campuses located in North Philadelphia. The hospital’s main campus is a 700-bed tertiary care facility and Level 1 trauma center that serves more than 750,000 residents and receives approximately 85,000 ED visits per year.
Temple’s patient population is largely disadvantaged and impacted by multiple social determinants of health (SDOH) issues. These patients have twice as many comorbidities as patients in neighboring zip codes and a life expectancy nearly 10 years lower.
These challenges make Temple’s patients highly dependent on prescription medications, particularly specialty drugs. During an internal analysis, Temple discovered its reliance on contract specialty pharmacies often resulted in slow response times to patient questions, delaying the dispensing of specialty medications by as much as 30 days.
To improve response times, Temple sought to enhance integration and communication between pharmacists, physicians, and patients by bringing the specialty pharmacy function in house. The initiative would also create a new revenue stream for the health system and result in significant savings by eliminating contract pharmacy dispensing fees and optimizing 340B discounts.
Why Temple Invested in Specialty Pharmacy
The Solution
Activated Solutions
Omnicell Specialty Pharmacy Services
After an intensive side-by-side comparison of four vendors, Temple chose to partner with Omnicell for support in launching its entity-owned specialty pharmacy. Omnicell delivered a comprehensive portfolio of turnkey of solutions that combined technology, services, and expertise, providing a fully managed specialty pharmacy through a risk-shared model that aligned with Temple’s goals.
Omnicell helped Temple staff its specialty pharmacy, gain access to limited distribution drugs, secure ACHC and URAC accreditations, navigate manufacturer-imposed restrictions on contract pharmacies, and build physician trust with established policies and procedures for specialty pharmacy.
Omnicell's Value as a Specialty Pharmacy Partner
Activated Solutions
Omnicell Specialty Pharmacy Services
After an intensive side-by-side comparison of four vendors, Temple chose to partner with Omnicell for support in launching its entity-owned specialty pharmacy. Omnicell delivered a comprehensive portfolio of turnkey of solutions that combined technology, services, and expertise, providing a fully managed specialty pharmacy through a risk-shared model that aligned with Temple’s goals.
Omnicell helped Temple staff its specialty pharmacy, gain access to limited distribution drugs, secure ACHC and URAC accreditations, navigate manufacturer-imposed restrictions on contract pharmacies, and build physician trust with established policies and procedures for specialty pharmacy.
Omnicell's Value as a Specialty Pharmacy Partner
The Impact
Key Outcomes:
- 45% growth in daily specialty pharmacy sales
- 30% increase in providers served
- 35% increase in patient volume
Customer Benefits:
- Speed to market (5 months to launch)
- Increased pharmacy efficiency
- New revenue stream for health system
Temple's Results from Omnicell Specialty Pharmacy Services
Temple's Results from Omnicell Specialty Pharmacy Services
"Omnicell’s support accelerated our speed to market. We signed our contract with Omnicell in October 2021 and filled our first script in March 2022. Had we tried to launch the specialty pharmacy on our own, we would still be trying to figure out how to get the program off the ground. "
Abhinav Rastogi, President and CEO, Temple University Hospital
"Omnicell staffed our specialty pharmacy within the first two months and have continued to add staff as volume has grown. I don’t know how Omnicell does it, but they find staff even in today’s tough labor market."
Abhinav Rastogi, President and CEO, Temple University Hospital
Case Study
Temple University Hospital Improves Drug Access, Revenue with Specialty Pharmacy
Temple University Hospital partnered with Omnicell to launch an in-house specialty pharmacy in just five months, increasing sales by 45%.
Webinar
Enhancing Care and Margins with an Integrated, Strategic Approach to Specialty Pharmacy Management
Learn how Temple University Hospital’s approach to specialty pharmacy delivers value and ensures accountability among providers, payors, and patients.
Article
5 Reasons Temple University Hospital Chose Omnicell to Accelerate Specialty Pharmacy
Temple evaluated four vendors when searching for a partner in launching an entity-owned specialty pharmacy. Learn the specific reasons it ultimately selected Omnicell.
