Background: In the spring of 2021, the Michigan Medicine Specialty Pharmacy launched a new initiative that paired clinical pharmacists to specialty clinics (Neurology, Gastroenterology-Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Rheumatology, Pulmonology, Dermatology) who prescribe a large amount of specialty medications that are known to be high-volume, high-cost, and critical to patient care & quality of life.  In some cases, patients and prescribing physicians experience prior authorization challenges regarding these prescriptions. This can delay access to these critical medications by weeks or even months while patients endure continued disease symptoms and a detrimental care experience.

The implementation of this program expands the role of clinical pharmacists to provide valuable resources to patients. These resources aid in overcoming prior authorization challenges, side effects, and efficacy issues. Clinical pharmacist services include specialty medication denial support, new therapy & education follow-up, a treatment options visit, and ongoing therapy follow-up. This allows pharmacists to facilitate prior authorizations, recommend substitute medications when needed, and answer any questions from patients about their medication.