Medical Mutual Adds University Hospitals Specialty Pharmacy as a Preferred Provider for Health Plans

CLEVELAND – University Hospitals (UH) Specialty Pharmacy has been designated a preferred specialty pharmacy for Medical Mutual health plan members beginning Jan. 1, 2021. This agreement gives covered patients in most Medical Mutual commercial and Individual ACA plans in Northeast Ohio access to the high-quality services of UH Specialty Pharmacy.

Specialty medications are high-cost and complex medications often prescribed for patients undergoing treatment for conditions involving rheumatology, gastroenterology, neurology, oncology, and others.

UH Specialty Pharmacy allows direct connectivity with physicians and other prescribers. This benefits patients by offering faster access to care and more efficient financial assistance support. In addition, the pharmacy stocks medications in house for faster service, and provides a “white glove service” to ensure that patients receive the medications that were prescribed and are following the guidelines for taking the drugs. UH Specialty Pharmacy utilization data also indicate enhanced clinical outcomes as a result of improved compliance to medication orders.

“We are excited to add UH to our Specialty Pharmacy Solution program,” said Kathryn Canaday, PharmD, Medical Mutual Vice President, Pharmacy Management. “Having the Specialty Pharmacy tightly aligned with the prescribers will help improve the clinical outcomes of our shared members.”

“Patient satisfaction for our specialty pharmacy is very favorable and we expect Medical Mutual members will appreciate the added value it brings to their health care experience. Our pharmacy offers patient support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” said Eric Beck, DO, Chief Operating Officer of UH.

“We look forward to serving the specialty medication needs of many Medical Mutual members in 2021 and beyond. Working together and with the support of our dedicated caregivers, we will continue to deliver unparalleled service to the community while advancing our mission: To Heal. To Teach. To Discover,” said Mike Szubski, UH’s Chief Financial and System Services Officer.

In 2017, UH and Medical Mutual announced an agreement where all UH facilities and providers would be included in the Medical Mutual SuperMed network. The agreement included UH Cleveland Medical Center, including MacDonald Women’s Hospital, UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, UH Seidman Cancer Center and UH Bedford Medical Center, all of which had not been included for 20 years in the network.

More information about UH facilities included in the Medical Mutual networks can be found at UHhospitals.org.