The Value of Technology in the Innovation of Patient Care in Specialty Pharmacy

Pharmacy Times^® interviewed Cory Kidd, PhD, CEO and founder of Catalia Health, on the value of technology in innovating patient care in the field of specialty pharmacy. The discussion includes why technological innovation is important in specialty pharmacy today, the value of using technology to more frequently interact with patients in the specialty pharmacy, and the importance of defining the scope of care management programs.

Kidd noted that it is important for physicians to buy in to any programs that are developed.

He said, “Having the physician on board is very important because they're really the ones driving care for the patient, and ultimately the one that the patient trusts to make recommendations and make decisions about care. So that's the primary driver, as they are going to influence whether a patient is going to end up using a program like this or not. In a lot of our programs, the first stop of the data, if you will, is back to the pharmacy, but that pharmacist might want to share information back to a clinician and have them understand what the overall program is. It's important to have them trust or be able to use that data in the care of a patient.”

Kidd also discussed the necessity to identify the breadth and depth of data that can be used for patient follow up and care, the importance of reducing readmissions from the long-term care facility to the hospital, why it is necessary to augment people with technology, why attempts to scale care in the past may have been unsuccessful, and some general principles that can be used when creating successful programs.