Similar Adherence Is Seen in Digital, Telephonic Offerings

To serve patients wanting the ability to refill specialty prescriptions online rather than telephoning a pharmacy, AllianceRx Walgreens Prime launched its digital service offering in late 2019. A recent study of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) revealed similar rates of adherence — measured by proportion of days covered — between people managing their prescriptions via online tools vs. telephonic engagement.

In addition to offering self-serve refill requests, the company “wanted to ensure patients using the digital clinical assessment received the same level of quality clinical care required for a specialty patient compared with patients supported by the traditional telephonic process,” says Sabeen Hasni, R.Ph., director of pharmacy quality at AllianceRx Walgreens Prime and a lead researcher of the study. After patients log in and select specialty drugs to refill, they answer operational and clinical questions specific to their condition, including their response to therapy, on-hand supply of medication and side effects. Algorithms can identify those patients who need additional support from pharmacists, and patients can request to speak with a pharmacist at any time. In addition, providers are notified when their patients trigger an intervention protocol, and pharmacists can contact them to discuss next steps in care.