October 14, 2020 – Seven leading health systems and other network providers of specialty pharmacy patient care have joined together to form The Health System Owned Specialty Pharmacy Alliance (HOSP).
HOSP will focus on advocating for the interests of integrated specialty pharmacies and promoting best practices that enable them to deliver the best patient care and patient outcomes.
More than a quarter of specialty pharmacies are now owned by health systems, HOSP said in a press release.
“HOSP will act as the “face and voice” of the integrated specialty pharmacy industry advocating for, and uniting members around, common industry interests and concerns,” said Tanya Menchi, executive director, HOSP.
“Creating a trade association that is dedicated to representing specialty pharmacies owned by health systems means HOSP members can focus on our unique issues and commitment to patients and their care team,” said Tim Affeldt, VP, Specialty/Infusion Pharmacy Operations, Fairview Health Services. “This is why Fairview has been very interested in HOSP from the beginning. With most major health systems owning specialty pharmacies or looking to create that capability, I expect interest in HOSP will be strong across the industry.”
HOSP founding members with representation on the Board of Directors include:
- Tim Affeldt, VP, Specialty/Infusion Pharmacy Operations, Fairview Health Services
- Neil Gilchrist, chief pharmacy officer, Pharmacy Services, UMass Memorial Medical Center
- Gary Kerr, chief pharmacy officer, Baystate Health
- Eric Arlia, senior director, Systems Pharmacy, Hartford HealthCare
- Darlene Rodowicz, EVP, Berkshire Health Systems
- Jack Shields, founder and chairman, Shields Health Solutions
- Louis Sokos, director of Allied Health Solutions, Specialty Pharmacy Services, WVU Hospitals
- Marla Weigert, system VP, Pharmacy Services at CommonSpirit, President, CommonSpirit Specialty Pharmacy