Shields Acquires Excelera Shining Spotlight on Health System Specialty Pharmacies

Shields Health Solutions (Shields) has joined forces with ExceleraRx Corp. (Excelera), and now be able to reach and offer services to health systems across the U.S., spanning 43 states and 700+ hospitals, providing manufacturers with access to data insights, and presenting payors the opportunity to help optimize care and improve outcomes for nearly one million patients with complex and chronic conditions.

Shields and Excelera have been separately building a networks of healthcare system owned specialty pharmacies. According to the companies, ExceleraRx had 25 specialty pharmacy network deals and Shields had 65 health care systems with 700 hospitals in 43 states.

Shields Health Solutions is a specialty pharmacy integrator and care provider, partnering with hospital leaders on every aspect of specialty pharmacy creation, growth, and management.

The Excelera® Network is comprised of integrated delivery networks, health systems, and large academic medical centers with a deep commitment to caring for complex patients.

Since 2015, the prevalence of health system-owned specialty pharmacies in large hospitals has doubled, with nearly 90 percent of large hospitals operating a specialty pharmacy in 2019.

Excelera investors and current equity holders (Avera Health, Banner Health, CommonSpirit Health, Fairview Pharmacy Services, Intermountain Healthcare, and Monument Health) are committed to the success of the combined organization and have invested in Shields as part of the transaction.

Shields and Excelera offer programs for health systems to build, operationalize and optimize integrated specialty pharmacies, as well as help manufacturers and payors access critical patient and drug performance insights.

Shields and Excelera offer a variety of programs to help health systems start and grow an on-site, integrated specialty pharmacy; provide payors with access to the data and insights needed to reduce the total cost of care; and partner with manufacturers to improve drug performance and prove value. Excelera also offers a home infusion program, a pharmacy benefit management solution and a data platform integrates medical, pharmacy and patient journey data.

With over 60 health systems represented, the combined entity will have insights into best practices for integrating specialty pharmacy care across over 30 disease states, including specialty, retail and rare diseases therapies.

Final note—- We remain convinced that healthcare system owned specialty pharmacies pose one of the greatest threats to independent specialty pharmacies given their ability to self-direct specialty prescriptions within their walls.

 

Takeaway: The increase in health system specialty pharmacies accounts for over 30% of AMI’s Specialty Pharmacy Database approximately 1,100 pharmacies.