Innovative 'cost-plus' model for specialty drugs helps lower costs for ground-breaking medication while helping patients manage their treatment

MADISON, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lumicera Health Services, the first specialty pharmacy built on a cost-plus model, is celebrating 10 years of making specialty medication pricing more transparent and affordable. Growing from its Madison startup roots to serve all 50 states and Puerto Rico with seven physical locations, Lumicera is committed to helping patients through a comprehensive care model and delivering affordable medications.

Lumicera's focus on high-touch patient care is the number one driver behind its patient satisfaction and a key contributor to the company's sustained growth, recently achieving a place among the Top 15 specialty pharmacies according to Drug Channels Institute. Lumicera works directly with patients to ensure they can access the appropriate medications, and counsels them to improve adherence.

"Lumicera was founded by Navitus a decade ago in recognition of the potential costs and patient care complexities for emerging specialty drugs," said Sharon Faust, PharmD, Senior Vice President of Specialty Pharmacy at Lumicera. "We wanted to bring a transparent, acquisition cost-plus model, similar to the model used by our parent company, Navitus Health Solutions, to best help employers take care of their employees."

Owned by Navitus Health Solutions, a transparent 100% pass-through pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), Lumicera is one of few cost-plus pharmacies and is uniquely focused on specialty medications. Dedicated experts research and negotiate best pricing to ensure patient access to critical medications. Lumicera's commitment extends within the industry, serving as a key dispensing pharmacy partner for CivicaScript and their transparent pricing model, and supporting, training and investing in the future of pharmacy through various programs across the country.

The combination of reasonable specialty drug prices and an emphasis on patient engagement has led to achievements including:

• Improved Affordability: In 2023, 86% of Lumicera patients received copay assistance, with an average 90% reduction in copay costs. Lumicera helped secure $115 million in copay assistance, combining cost savings with a strong focus on patient engagement.
• High-Quality Patient Care Model: Pharmacists conduct regular follow ups, and are encouraged to engage with patients outside of standard workflows to ensure patient needs are truly heard. Patients have the flexibility to use an online portal, two-way texting, or live phone support to get their questions answered and help improve adherence. Lumicera's high-touch model has resulted in an overall 97% overall patient satisfaction score, and 98% new patient satisfaction score.
• Efficient Prescription Dispensing: Lumicera has shipped more than one million prescriptions directly to patients.
• Comprehensive Medication Offerings and Customized Clinical Pathways: Lumicera offers more than 300 unique medications and customized disease specific clinical pathways designed to keep patients on track with their therapy and ensure optimal treatment outcomes.
• Drug Advocacy: Lumicera is an advocate for biosimilars within the specialty pharmacy sector, launching the first landmark drug from CivicaScript, Abiraterone, which is used with steroid medication (Prednisone) to treat prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. Lumicera is an active member of Transparency-Rx, a non-partisan not-for-profit coalition of industry experts working to change drug pricing for the better and also has also built its own partner network to help educate other specialty pharmacies on patient care, complex conditions and pricing.
• Centers of Excellence for Personalized Care: Lumicera has built several Centers of Excellence which offer robust, 24/7 patient support and customized treatments with specially trained staff, the largest being their accredited Oncology Center of Excellence, where pharmacists are specifically trained to support patients undergoing treatment for cancer.

About Lumicera Health Services

Lumicera Health Services is a leading specialty pharmacy dedicated to providing superior patient care and ensuring positive outcomes through innovative practices and strategic partnerships. For more information, visit .

About Navitus Health Solutions

Navitus Health Solutions, LLC is a pioneering pharmacy solutions provider that first launched a Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) to pass through 100% of negotiated drug rebates and discounts to health plans and plan sponsors. As an alternative to traditional PBMs that divert rebates for profit, the Navitus PBM leads the way in driving meaningful cost savings to help make medications more affordable. After more than 20 years, the organization now delivers a broad range of solutions through portfolio brands and partners including Navitus, EpiphanyRx, Lumicera, Archimedes, and CivicaScript. Owned by SSM Health and Costco, Navitus Health Solutions serves over 14 million lives across 800 clients including employers, unions, government plans, payors and health systems. For more information, please visit .

Sarah Broome
Sarah.Broome@aircoverpr.com