New Specialty Pharmacy Opens in Hawai‘i

A new pharmacy tailored for people with rare, specific medical concerns has opened in Hawai‘i.

Accredo, a specialty pharmacy that serves people who take medications for complex and rare conditions, on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019, opened a new, full-service pharmacy for residents of Hawai‘i who require additional clinical and administrative support for their complex treatments and medications, according to a news release.

Located in Ala Moana-Kakaako, Accredo provides high-touch pharmacy care to people with chronic conditions such as multiple sclerosis, cancer and hemophilia. The new pharmacy will serve all residents of Hawai‘i whose pharmacy benefit includes Accredo, including AlohaCare, a Hawaii-based, nonprofit health plan with more than 65,000 members living on O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, Moloka‘i, Lāna‘i, Maui and Hawai‘i Island.

The new pharmacy in Honolulu offers a range of services, including walk-in consultations with a pharmacist, home delivery via courier and mail, and site-of-care (or ambulatory) infusion center with onsite nurses. Oncology treatments and intravenous immunoglobulin will be among the therapies administered onsite, the release continued.

“Accredo’s experience includes more than 30 years managing specialty pharmacy and helping patients with complex conditions access the care they need,” said Accredo President Brian Seiz. “Our pharmacists, nurses and care support teams have a unique expertise in the use of complex medications, clinically and administratively, and work with patients and their caregivers to help make the use of these medications as easy as possible. We’re proud to work alongside AlohaCare and bring these important services to the residents of Hawai‘i.”

Corey Fujii leads the Accredo pharmacy in Honolulu, working with a team of nearly a dozen specialty pharmacy professionals, including pharmacists, nurses, pharmacy technicians and patient access representatives. The team, including lead pharmacist Quinn Taira, are long-time Hawai‘i residents with experience in healthcare and a passion for serving the needs of the people of Hawai‘, the release stated.

Accredo has a clinical model with pharmacists, nurses and other care support professionals working in Therapeutic Resource Centers, which are condition-specific practices that allow the care teams to become experts in a condition and the therapies that treat that condition. In addition to the Honolulu-based team, Accredo pharmacy customers have access to multiple resources to manage their conditions, including an additional 500 specialty pharmacists via phone and video conference, nutrition counseling and social work support, and complete coordination of care between the medical benefit, pharmacy benefit and physicians.

In addition to its care model, Accredo offers the nation’s broadest access to therapies with exclusive or limited distribution, the release stated. With expertise in treating some of the rarest diseases, Accredo also brings access to the latest in innovative medicine, including the first gene therapies used to treat hereditary blindness and spinal muscular atrophy.

Located at 677 Ala Moana Boulevard, the pharmacy is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.