Dr Heather Bonome: Specialty Pharmacy Has a History of Embracing Digital Tools

Specialty pharmacy was well positioned during the pandemic because it has a history of embracing digital solutions, said Heather Bonome, PharmD, director of pharmacy at the accreditation agency URAC.

Transcript

Specialty has for a long time used telephonic interactions with patients and done that very successfully. Even prior to the pandemic, we had seen a lot of specialty pharmacies start to embrace other digital interactions—patient portals, texting, some video chats, as well. So, there were some specialty pharmacies that were really well positioned to increase the utilization of that through the pandemic when the need arose. And again, I think it was that foundationally virtual practice that really set them up for success there.