Bassett Partnering with Geisinger on Plans To Open Specialty Pharmacy This Year

COOPERSTOWN—Bassett Healthcare Network is partnering with Geisinger, a nationally recognized integrated health system in central and northeastern Pennsylvania with 10 hospitals and a 500,000-member health plan, to begin plans to open a specialty pharmacy later this year.

The specialty pharmacy will offer patients access to clinically complex medications that are not available at regular retail pharmacies, focusing on treatments for complicated diseases ranging from cancer to rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, according to a press release. Presently, specialty pharmacies across Central New York are rare, with locations available in Syracuse, Utica, the Capital Region and greater New York City areas. Bassett’s new specialty pharmacy will be the first of its kind across the health system’s eight-county service area.

According to officials, Bassett’s three retail pharmacies at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown, FoxCare Center in Oneonta, and O’Connor Hospital in Delhi rely on outside pharmacies to supply the specialty medications prescribed. Bassett serves a 5,600-square-mile region the size of Connecticut, with many patients receiving highly specialized care for cancer, heart diseases, rheumatological diseases (musculoskeletal diseases), kidney disease, spine conditions, and other types of complex diseases. Officials said a specialty pharmacy on-site within the health system will bring even more efficiency to the way advanced care is delivered to patients.

Plans are underway to assess building spaces and amenities for potential location options. At last report, project experts had not yet determined whether Bassett will expand an already existing retail pharmacy space or construct a new stand-alone facility.

“By putting plans in place to open a specialty pharmacy, Bassett Healthcare Network is taking a major step toward expanding medication and advanced treatment access to its rural-based populations,” said Michael Evans, chief pharmacy officer at Geisinger. “Geisinger is thrilled to partner with Bassett on this important effort. Like Geisinger, Bassett Healthcare Network has grown its organization over the decades with a central mission to bring advanced care to small rural communities. We applaud Bassett and look forward to a long and meaningful relationship.”