PROVIDER PERSPECTIVES ON SPECIALTY PRESCRIBING

Prescribing specialty medications is a complex and time-consuming process. Today there is no simple definition for specialty medications, but in general, they are costly and require unique handling. To manage the high costs and high-touch patient care associated with specialty medications, providers must follow specific guidelines for prior authorization and patient enrollment.

Branded specialty medications are projected to surpass half of medicine spending in the U.S. by 2022.1 And specialty medication takes up 94% of commercial medical benefit drug spend, but this spend represents just 15% of all patients.2 Since costs often fall under the patient’s medical benefit— not the pharmacy benefit—the information gap that providers face widens.

In 2018, Surescripts surveyed providers to gain insight on their experience when writing specialty prescriptions. We identified two pain points: a lack of key information in drug selection and the burdensome manual prescribing process. Providers believe that the pain points can be addressed and specialty prescribing improved if they have the right information at the point of care.

The full report from Surescripts can be downloaded below.