OUR INITIATIVE
LONGITUDE Rx:
delivering a specialty pharmacy solution
to improve patient care
ABOUT LONGITUDE Rx
Specialty pharmacy is the first initiative for Longitude Health, identified and selected by the founding members. Longitude Rx will aim to improve patient access and adherence to specialty medications by providing solutions that supporting health systems in managing their specialty pharmacies.
Hospital specialty pharmacies serve patients with complex health needs requiring a high level of clinical intervention and oversight to their medication regimen. A significant challenge for patients, providers and health systems alike, these medications are costly and require prior authorization from insurance providers to dispense.
Longitude Health’s goal is to create a set of capabilities supporting integrated care that will improve patient outcomes, reduce costs, and scale across health care organizations through the following ways:
- Address the coordination requirements and barriers that patients and provid ers face with accessing and adhering to specialty medications.
- Build capabilities to allow health systems to be key industry participants in the emerging wave of rare disease-focused therapeutics anticipated to enter the market over the next 5-10 years.
- Leverage the strengths and assets of Longitude Health member specialty pharmacies and build new capabilities where there are gaps to provide a more effective solution for health systems and their patients.
Longitude Rx is expected to launch in early 2025.
Longitude Health Names
Jigar Thakkar to Lead Longitude Rx,
a new Specialty Pharmacy Initiative
Longitude Health Names Jigar Thakkar to Lead Longitude Rx, a new Specialty Pharmacy Initiative
Longitude Rx is the first health system-focused solution the new organization is launching
[NOV. 11, 2024] – Today, Longitude Health, a newly established organization aiming to revolutionize the way health systems operate to deliver impactful change for patients and communities across the United States, announced the hiring of Jigar Thakkar, PharmD, MBA, MHCDS, FACHE as the chief executive officer of Longitude Rx, a next-generation specialty pharmacy initiative.
Enhancing specialty pharmacy capabilities is the first initiative for Longitude Health, identified and selected by the founding members including Baylor Scott & White Health, Memorial Hermann Health System, Novant Health and Providence. Longitude Rx will aim to improve patient access and adherence to specialty medications by providing solutions that support health systems in managing their specialty pharmacies. Longitude Rx is expected to formally launch in early 2025.
“As more and more limited distribution drugs enter the marketplace, often in the form of spectacular new cell and gene therapies, health systems need to develop new capabilities and approaches to better support patients. Our vision is for patients to have access to these specialty medications accompanied by the guidance and support from highly specialized pharmacists and ancillary diagnostics to monitor their clinical responses and adjust accordingly,” said Paul Mango, chief executive officer of Longitude Health. “We are at an inflection point in the pace of new cell and gene therapy introductions. Health systems often face market, regulatory, and competitive barriers to obtaining and administering these therapies to their patients and communities.”
Hospital specialty pharmacies serve patients with complex health needs requiring a high level of clinical intervention and oversight to their medication regimen. A significant challenge for patients, providers and health systems alike, these medications are costly and often require prior authorization from insurance providers to dispense. A goal of Longitude Health is to create a set of capabilities supporting integrated care that will improve patient outcomes, reduce costs, and scale across health care organizations.
Mango adds, “Longitude Rx will focus on addressing core challenges facing health systems in accessing specialty medications and will collaborate with Longitude Health members to adopt new and innovative approaches to surmount these challenges. Thakkar’s experience in building top-performing specialty pharmacy operations, along with the talented pharmacy leaders within the Member organizations, will combine to bring well-tested, and well-respected, expertise to the task of shaping this offering to the needs of health systems and their patients.”
Thakkar will lead the effort to create a next-generation specialty pharmacy offering that is tailored to the specific needs of health systems. While some offerings provide management tools for specialty pharmacy, Longitude Rx will address the coordination requirements and barriers that patients and providers face with accessing and adhering to specialty medications. It will also focus on building capabilities to allow health systems to be key industry participants in the emerging wave of rare disease-focused therapeutics anticipated to enter the market over the next 5-10 years. Longitude Rx will leverage the strengths and assets of Longitude Health member specialty pharmacies and build new capabilities where there are gaps to provide a more effective solution for health systems and their patients.
“Improving outcomes for patients through better medication adherence, clinical, and financial oversight is our goal,” said Thakkar. “We know that we can improve the patient experience and reduce the clinical burden by creating a specialty pharmacy offering that can serve unmet needs for patients and communities. I look forward to working with the Longitude Health members to leverage existing capabilities and identify improvements to strengthen their offerings such that they can deliver more specialty medications to more patients and communities.”
Thakkar joins Longitude Health from OU Health in Oklahoma where he served as the Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Pharmacy Officer. Thakkar built a specialty pharmacy program for OU Health that notably grew to $470M in less than four years, leading to greater integration of care delivery and clinical growth within the health system. Prior to OU Health, Thakkar was a Managing Director at FTI Consulting’s healthcare practice. He earned his PharmD from Midwestern University, Master of Health Care Delivery Science from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Northwestern University.
Longitude Health, founded by Baylor Scott & White Health, Memorial Hermann Health System, Novant Health and Providence, was announced earlier last month. The organization will focus on initiatives that addressing the greatest healthcare challenges and opportunities facing health systems across the United States. In the short term, Longitude Health intends to make multiple strategic investments focused on key areas creating impact over the first 12-24 months of the organization’s formation.
LEADERSHIP
JIGAR THAKKAR, PharmD, MBA, MHCDS, FACHE
Chief Executive Officer of Longitude Rx
Jigar Thakkar joins Longitude Health from OU Health in Oklahoma where he served as the Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Pharmacy Officer. Thakkar notably built a specialty pharmacy program for OU Health that grew to $470M in less than four years, leading to greater integration of care delivery and clinical growth within the health system. Prior to OU Health, Thakkar was a Managing Director at FTI Consulting’s healthcare practice. He earned his PharmD from Midwestern University, Master of Health Care Delivery Science from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Northwestern University.
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