Dover, DE—September 24, 2024—Community Oncology Partners (COP) today announced in a press release, a partnership with House Rx, the leader in medically integrated dispensing, to collaborate on in-office dispensing of oncology medications at future oncology clinics. This collaboration aims to enhance oncology care in underserved and rural areas by improving patient access to essential medications.
The COP growth platform model was built around giving providers long-term financial incentives to provide best-in-class care to our most vulnerable communities. This partnership will further enhance the support for providers and staff at future COP sites.
House Rx is driving the adoption of medically integrated dispensing in oncology practices. It achieves this by integrating pharmacists and specialized technology into clinic care teams, enhancing patient outcomes and easing the burden of prescribing specialty therapies on providers. House Rx will be the exclusive provider of dispensing services and technology at COP clinics. Key benefits of the partnership include the following:
- Enhanced Medication Access: Patients of COP’s network clinics will benefit from easier and more affordable access to specialty medications.
- Improved Patient Outcomes: With House Rx’s support, COP practices will be able to ensure that patients start their therapies promptly and adhere to their treatment plan, leading to improved treatment outcomes.
- Local Care: The partnership will provide an additional revenue stream that helps keep independent practices open in the communities they serve, enabling patients to receive high-quality care locally.
- Dedicated Labor: House Rx will deploy its dedicated team of expert pharmacists and care coordinators to partner with clinic care teams to support the in-house dispensing programs, reducing the workload of already stretched-thin clinic staff.
“Our patients need to get their medications in an easier way than what exists today in underserved and rural communities,” said Shaman Bakshi, CEO of Community Oncology Partners. “The last thing patients want to worry about during an infusion appointment is their prescription medications and any related side effects. Community Oncology Partners and House Rx aim to provide superior care through integrated medical and pharmacy care at the point of delivery.”
For Community Oncology Partners to meet its goal of owning and operating 300+ sites across the country, the companies with which it partners to support patients, providers, and staff are critical to its success.
To support its specialty pharmacy and medically integrated dispensing effort, Community Oncology Partners has entered into a multiyear relationship with House Rx to provide technology, analytics, and labor support to its care teams. This partnership will allow COP to serve its communities with full physician and pharmacist collaboration for its cancer and blood disorder patients across all of its sites in every state in which it operates. Through this partnership, COP aims to achieve stronger patient engagement, adherence to medications, and patient education, along with fewer side-effect-related ER visits.
“The House Rx vision is fully aligned with Community Oncology Partners’ vision to provide its patients with a more local, more trusted and more cost-effective experience,” Bakshi said.
“This partnership will allow us to know that a patient leaving our clinics can go straight home to rest with medications in hand with their questions answered,” said Nathan Ure, COO of Community Oncology Partners. “It gives me so much joy to think of these patients and families escaping that additional strain when they need to heal.”
“We are thrilled to support Community Oncology Partners and its mission to bring cancer care closer to home. Their vision to empower clinics to provide excellent, evidence-based care for each patient in underserved communities really resonated with us,” said Alerie Stiles, SVP of commercial growth at House Rx. “Our collaboration will support COP’s initiatives with not only modern specialty pharmacy technology but also with the necessary administrative and clinical labor needed to make its mission a success.”
COP is currently in the design and development stage of its state-of-the-art care centers. Its goals include improving patient outcomes and experiences, improving physician and staff recruitment and retention, and supporting the communities it serves with best-in-class oncology care closer to home.
For more information, please contact Jen Gallacher at (385) 335-8791 or jen.gallacher@cophealthcare.com.
About Community Oncology Partners
Community Oncology Partners is a growth platform with the singular focus of developing and operating oncology clinics with best-in-class care. Our mission is to ensure access to state-of-the-art, high-quality, and affordable cancer care in a community-based setting. We strive to offer value to patients and payers alike while delivering integrated care via the Oncology Medical Home model. Our vision is to continuously advance cancer care, setting the gold standard in innovation, research, and compassionate treatment.