The big picture: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a rare condition that impacts about 1% of people globally. The condition affects the blood vessels in the lungs and can quickly lead to heart failure if not treated promptly and appropriately. PAH is one of the five categories of PH.
- PH is complex and chronic, requiring specialized therapies and coordinated care.
CVS Specialty’s approach to pulmonary hypertension care boosts therapy adherence
CVS Specialty’s comprehensive approach can help patients stay on therapy longer and more consistently.
- A recent study on PAH therapy adherence found that those enrolled in CVS Specialty’s pharmacist-managed PAH program had 11.5% higher adherence rates. The proportion of days covered (PDC) was 87% vs. 78% in the control group.
Coram/CVS Specialty’s dedicated PH nurses offer vital education and emotional support
Like Eric, many patients are diagnosed with PH in the hospital after a major health crisis. The diagnosis and treatment are complex and life-altering, often requiring continuous infusion therapy — meaning: 24 hours a day, every day.
That was the case for Eric, initially. His journey from continuous infusion therapy to oral medication defied expectations and highlights the importance of personalized care.
“Coming to terms with this diagnosis was overwhelming. The consistent emotional, educational, and medication therapy support from my in-home Coram/CVS Specialty nurse was transformative, not just for me, but for my family,” Eric says.
“Emotional support and educating our PH patients, and their caregivers, on emergency preparedness and therapy management, is profoundly important for them to feel safe, empowered and confident in managing their health,” says Jennifer McMahon, Therapy Director for the CVS Specialty’s PH Center of Excellence.
CVS Specialty’s PH program aims to simplify the patient experience, access to medication therapy
CVS Specialty’s PH program is designed to simplify the patient medication therapy journey and help improve outcomes through:
- Streamlined onboarding: From proactively submitting prior authorization requests to connecting patients to third-party financial assistance programs, we reduce friction and help patients start therapy quickly.
- Access to all FDA-approved PH therapies, including oral, inhaled, injectable and infused medications.
- CVS Specialty PH Center of Excellence that continuously reviews and advises on best practices for medication therapy support.
- Fleet of dedicated Coram/CVS Specialty PH nurses, who are 100% focused on PH patients. Our PH nurses undergo months of specialized training to build their knowledge in PH therapies and disease states, delivering more than 23,000 in-home and virtual visits with PH patients every year.
- 24/7 patient access to PH-specialized pharmacists for concerns.
- Digital tools that make it simple to refill eligible medications, make payments and track deliveries.
Coram/CVS Specialty’s collaboration with prescribers, advocacy groups aims to help drive better PH care
Thanks to the trusting relationships, regular communications and visits with our PH patients, our nurses are often the first to notice changes in a patient’s condition — and they communicate directly with prescribers when it appears therapies might need to be adjusted.
Our PH CareTeam practice liaisons also play an important role, serving as direct points of contact for physicians and streamlining the onboarding process.
At the heart of our PH care model is a simple belief: Every patient deserves a trusted, dedicated team that listens, responds and advocates.
