23-year-old Maddison Miller is one of 40,000 people in the U.S. living with cystic fibrosis (CF). It’s a difficult condition as abnormally thick mucus can block airways and other ducts in the lungs, pancreas and other organs, and can lead to infections. The condition requires a difficult regimen of medications, frequent physical therapy sessions with a specialized vest and inhaler, and routine clinic visits.
Staying on top of such a complex condition management plan can be difficult for a young adult with a full schedule. Thankfully, Maddison has help.
CVS Specialty: keeping complex care simple
Maddison is supported by her CVS Specialty CF CareTeam, from one of our more than 35 Centers of Excellence that focus on chronic and rare conditions - in this case, cystic fibrosis.
Our specialized CareTeams are staffed by clinicians specially trained on specific conditions and therapies, to best address the unique needs of patients and their caregivers.
“CVS Specialty is proactive with my pharmacy care,” Maddison says. “I’ll get a call or text before I even realize I have a question or need to place an order for refill.”
With our digital tools, patients like Maddison have easy access to refill reminders and ordering, delivery choice, symptom tracking and more. “Refilling and tracking prescriptions via the mobile app and getting medications delivered to my home makes life so much easier,” Maddison says.
Behind the scenes, our CareTeams also work with insurance providers and connect patients to financial assistance programs to help ensure they get the medications they need.
Gaining self-care confidence
“What we encourage is empowerment,” says Lucille Accetta, Chief Pharmacy Officer and Head of CVS Specialty Operations, CVS Health. “Building a patient’s confidence in managing their care is key.”
“Learning to own my health care has been such an important aspect of my life,” Maddison says. “It’s helped me practice self-care, advocate for my needs and stay organized with my treatments.”
Her advice? “Show up for yourself every day. That’s part of resilience.”
Press Play: See how Maddison is managing her condition with help from CVS Specialty.
