Shields Health Solutions and UnityPoint at Home Extend Collaboration, Providing Patients and Families Enhanced Specialty Pharmacy Services

Expanded partnership to accelerate continued growth of specialty pharmacy and improve community care

STOUGHTON, Mass. & DES MOINES, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Shields Health Solutions (Shields), the premier specialty pharmacy accelerator in the country, announced today its expanded partnership with UnityPoint at Home, a subsidiary of Iowa-based UnityPoint Health. Building upon the existing partnership that began in 2017, the enhanced collaboration will focus on extending a specialty pharmacy program that provides patients with complex, chronic conditions access to specialized pharmacy services designed to lower costs, broaden treatment options, improve medication management, and overall health.

The collaborative partnership between UnityPoint at Home and Shields will offer expanded support services to meet the unique needs of patients with complex chronic conditions. Shields’ expansive access to payer networks and complex drugs, including recently approved and newly available drugs, will allow patients to receive all their services through UnityPoint at Home with increased access to specialty treatment options. Shields currently partners with nearly 80 health systems around the country, helping partners reduce co-pays, promptly receive medication delivery, and improve medication adherence.

“UnityPoint at Home has been a highly valued partner for years, and we are excited to expand our relationship with an organization dedicated to providing outstanding care for complex patients,” said Stephen West, CEO of Shields Health Solutions. “By securing access to 90 percent of the limited distribution drugs that complex patients need and opening the door to restricted payer networks, our accelerated partnership will continue to create access to affordable care, while improving therapy management and care coordination for UnityPoint at Home’s patients.”

Headquartered near Des Moines, Iowa, UnityPoint at Home coordinates the services, support, and education necessary for individuals to continue their care at home with its network of physicians, hospitals and clinics. Its specialty pharmacy program is accredited by both the Utilization Review Accreditation Commission (URAC) and the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC).

“We are committed to delivering exceptional care for all patients. Our partnership with Shields enhances our efforts to consistently deliver a positive patient experience, including those who need the most specialized care,” said Jenn Ofelt, President of UnityPoint at Home. “We’re pleased to build upon our existing relationship with Shields and leverage its expertise in the health system specialty pharmacy industry.”

About Shields Health Solutions
Shields Health Solutions (Shields) is the premier specialty pharmacy accelerator in the country. The Shields Performance Platform, an integrated set of solutions, services and technology, is intentionally designed to elevate payer and drug access for specialty pharmacies, elevate health outcomes for complex patients, and elevate growth throughout the entire health system. As the foremost experts in the health system specialty pharmacy industry, Shields has a proven track record of success including access to over 90 percent of all limited distribution drugs (LDDs) and most (health insurance) payers in the nation; and a clinical model proven to lower total cost of care by 13%. In partnership with more than 80 health systems across the country through national-scale collaboration, Shields has a vested interest in delivering measurable clinical and financial results for health systems. For more, follow us on social media, @ShieldsRX, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube. Shields Health Solutions is a wholly owned subsidiary of Walgreens Boots Alliance and employs more than 2,000 people across the country.

About UnityPoint at Home
Dedicated to making it easier for people to live well, UnityPoint at Home provides home health care services in communities across Iowa and western Illinois, as well as a growing specialty pharmacy that can provide medications to patients in Iowa and surrounding states plus Arizona and Florida. Part of UnityPoint Health, one of the nation's most integrated health systems, UnityPoint at Home works together with its physicians and hospitals to coordinate the services, support and education necessary for individuals to continue their care at home. Services include adult and pediatric nursing, hospice, infusion therapy, rehabilitation therapy and home medical equipment. More at unitypoint.org/homecare.