title: Specialty pharmaceuticals: developing a management plan.
abstract: This is the first in a series of articles that address the complex issues associated with specialty pharmaceuticals in the development of a successful specialty pharmaceutical program, a critical component of managing this high-cost and highly fragmented sector. This article focuses on how to define specialty pharmaceuticals. Other articles in this series will explore such topics as the mechanics of developing and managing a specialty pharmaceutical program, how and when to establish clinical protocols and authorizations, the importance of data management, and the benefits from automated processes.
authors.affiliation: ACM (Ancillary Care Management), Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Dave
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Willcutts
mesh_terms: D001709:Biotechnology / Q000191:economics; D003363:Cost Control / Q000379:methods; D019468:Disease Management; D016527:Drug Costs; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000191:economics; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D017723:Drug Utilization Review; D006801:Humans; D007356:Insurance, Pharmaceutical Services; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010593:Pharmaceutical Services / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010597:Pharmacogenetics / Q000191:economics; D016730:Program Development; D014481:United States