Specialty Pharmacy Association of America (SPAARx) Publishes Glossary of Specialty Pharmacy Terms

The Specialty Pharmacy Association of America (SPAARx), the largest national association representing the broad interests of the specialty pharmacy industry, today released a comprehensive Glossary of Specialty Pharmacy Terms. This important deliverable from the Association incorporates approximately 100 key terms that are either unique to specialty pharmacy or are common terms that may have unique applications within the specialty pharmacy industry.

In late February, the Specialty Pharmacy Association of America released its Definition of Specialty Pharmacy. That deliverable was produced by thought leaders from dozens of specialty pharmacies nationally and is most comprehensive definition published to date. Today, the Glossary of Specialty Pharmacy Terms supplements the definition by providing granular detail to the multitude of elements that collectively make up specialty pharmacy. Common usage of terminology is important not only for marketing purposes by adding specificity and elimination of ambiguity but it also supports contracts development with industry stakeholders, especially with payors and manufacturers.

Available for public comment

The Specialty Pharmacy Association of America (SPAARx) is posting the draft Glossary of Specialty Pharmacy Terms for public comment. Individuals from across the specialty pharmacy industry are invited to send their questions and suggested revisions to SPAARx through the end of March. The same committee that drafted the working version of Definition of Specialty Pharmacy will take these comments and craft a final version that will be released by SPAARx during the Armada Specialty Pharmacy Summit on May 7th in Las Vegas.

"Association members expressed a strong interest in complementing the Definition of Specialty Pharmacy with a comprehensive Glossary of Terms to eliminate or minimize confusion around the use of industry-specific terms," said Bill Sullivan, interim executive director of the Specialty Pharmacy Association of America. Sullivan continued, "They found that even commonly used terms--like adherence, compliance, and persistence, for example--are frequently used inaccurately. When you look at the detailed definition of each term you see that, while closely related, each has a specific meaning."

The draft Glossary of Specialty Pharmacy Terms can be downloaded as an editable WORD document at: http://www.spaarx.org/documents/SPAARx Glossary of Specialty Pharmacy Terms_03-11-13.docx

Questions and suggestions can be sent directly to Bill Sullivan at bill.sullivan@spaarx.org

Individuals interested in joining SPAARx may do so by visiting the member signup web site at www.spaarx.org.

About Specialty Pharmacy Association of America (SPAARx)

SPAARx is the largest national Association solely dedicated to the interests of all individuals in the specialty pharmacy segment of health care. SPAARx is managed and governed by a board of directors comprised of executives from a diverse group of specialty pharmacies. This association is vendor-neutral and fully-aligned with the interests of all industry stakeholders. SPAARx is setting the standards, leading in advocacy and promoting the value of specialty pharmacy. The association's goal is to protect and promote common industry interests along with fostering professional growth within specialty pharmacy.

SOURCE: Specialty Pharmacy Association of America (SPAARx)