This Specialty Pharmacy Serves Patients with Complex and Chronic Health Conditions
(Sponsored) Accredo offers the care and education patients need to manage their conditions and regain their quality of life.
Ethan had just started his teenage years when he was diagnosed with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), a rare condition in which red blood cells break apart prematurely. This life-threatening disorder can cause blood clots and impaired bone marrow function, along with a host of other symptoms, including headaches, bruising or bleeding, and fatigue.
Like many patients with a rare disease, Ethan and his family faced many unknowns in the early years of his diagnosis. Was treatment available? How much would it cost? What would his quality of life be like?
“Initially, the diagnosis caused many changes in my life as doctors tried to figure out exactly what kind of condition I have,” Ethan said. “Fortunately, there is medication to treat PNH. My energy level is not as high as someone without PNH, but otherwise, I am able to work and do the same daily activities as most other people.”
The medication Ethan receives requires special handling and administration by intravenous (I.V.) infusion. And that’s where Accredo specialty pharmacy comes in. Not only does Accredo dispense medications that treat complex and chronic conditions, like PNH, clinical experts at Accredo are specially trained in specific disease areas and provide care and education to help patients like Ethan manage their condition.
“Having Accredo as a local specialty pharmacy provides patients with complex, chronic conditions a high level of specialized clinical care—right in their neighborhood,” says Corey Fujii, Accredo Senior Director and General Manager. “In addition, patients have access to Accredo’s pharmacists and nurses working throughout the U.S., who have extensive training and experience in specific disease states such as oncology, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.”
Ethan’s medication regimen is administered every eight weeks at Accredo’s Honolulu location, which has a state-of-the-art infusion suite. To make the process as convenient as possible, the team contacts Ethan one to two weeks prior to his infusion to confirm his availability, and has the medication shipped to the pharmacy. Then, Eric, an Accredo infusion nurse, texts Ethan to schedule an appointment. Ethan and Eric discovered a shared interest in Star Wars, so watching space action movies has become part of their routine during the infusion process, which takes about two hours. After that, Ethan heads out to enjoy the rest of his weekend.
Because of his condition, Ethan will require medication for the rest of his life. But that doesn’t stop him from having a positive outlook and offering this advice to others. “Let health care professionals help sort out what can be a complex process,” Ethan says. “People like me, who are living with a rare disease, need to be aware of how we can best manage our condition, but it shouldn’t overwhelm us.”
For more information on Accredo, visit accredo.com.
Accredo Specialty Pharmacy
677 Ala Moana Blvd. Ste. 404
Honolulu, HI 96813
MAIN Line: (808) 650-6488
FAX Referral: (808) 650-6487
Website: Accredo.com/HI
eRx: Honolulu
