Christa George
Christa George
Product Management Director
Will Griffith
Will Griffith
Operations Director
Aug 15, 2024

Accredo® by Evernorth Rare Disease Therapeutic Resource Center (TRC) maximizes patient access to rare disease therapies

Christa George
Christa George
Product Management Director
Will Griffith
Will Griffith
Operations Director
Aug 15, 2024
pharmacist talking to patient

Simplifying the patient access process

With a small percentage of rare conditions having treatment options, accessibility is often a barrier preventing patients from getting on and staying adherent to their therapies. The ability to quickly perform and coordinate benefits investigation outcomes and secure financial assistance for patients plays a crucial role in increasing patient access to therapy.


  • Only 5% of the 7,000+ known rare conditions have approved therapies1
  • $218K+ is the median annual treatment cost for orphan drugs2
  • $3B in financial assistance secured for patients by Accredo in 20233

Breaking down barriers to patient access

The Rare Disease TRC at Accredo specialty pharmacy is known for its deep expertise in navigating the complexities of rare disease therapies. This team is dedicated to breaking down any barriers that could disrupt a patient’s treatment by providing support in key areas:

  • Benefits investigation: Thoroughly examine benefits to ensure the patient makes the most of their available coverage.
  • 事先授权: Efficiently managing the authorization process to expedite access.
  • Finding and accessing financial resources: Helping patients find and use financial assistance tools to ease the burden of copay costs.

Accredo meticulously dives into each patient’s insurance coverage details to find potential barriers to access, such as complex prior authorization requirements or network restrictions. By navigating and streamlining the intricacies of payer coverage through sub-teams in the Rare TRC, Accredo facilitates a smoother and more efficient pathway for patients to obtain the therapies they need.

This method is designed to speed up approval and authorization processes, enabling Accredo to quickly inform patients about various financial resources. These resources may include community support, foundation partnerships and manufacturer programs, all aimed at offsetting copay costs.

Explore our copay assistance search tool that enhances patient access to therapy by helping them find the financial resources mentioned above. Learn more at Copay Assistance | Accredo by Evernorth.

Cornerstone to driving positive patient outcomes

By partnering with a specialty pharmacy that prioritizes patient access and outcomes, manufacturers have great confidence in the speed to therapy and the unparalleled patient-centric approach to improve patient experiences. Through this proactive approach, the Rare Disease TRC team ensures patients are fully aware of and can maximize all the resources available to them, helping uninterrupted access to necessary treatments.


Accredo overcomes obstacles to therapy access4:

  • 99.2% of re-authorization cases are completed prior to the patient exhausting their medication to ensure there are no gaps in therapy.
  • 2.4 days faster turnaround time for programs with a financial clinical nurse.
  • 12% more likely to secure the prior authorization on first round when using programs with a financial clinical nurse than those without.

Each patient and each rare therapy managed according to unique needs

No two therapies or patients are the same in the rare disease space. That is why Accredo manages each rare therapy and patient receiving the therapy individually and according to their unique and exact needs. Accredo’s Rare Disease TRC is a prime example of dedication to understanding and addressing patient needs.

The Rare Disease TRC is made up of approximately 100 specialized clinicians, including pharmacists, nurses, dietitians and social workers that focus their skilled ability on helping patients with rare diseases in getting and staying on the therapies they need. The Memphis, Tennessee based TRC is recognized as URAC-certified Rare Disease Pharmacy Center of Excellence, a certification awarded to only select high-performing organizations which show expertise in the rare disease space.

Learn more about the Rare Disease TRC by downloading our white paper on its capabilities and benefits to rare and gene therapy manufacturers.

Related Article + Video: GeneAXS™ 让患者快速获得各种基因治疗 | Accredo by Evernorth

  • 1

    National Organization of Rare Diseases

  • 2

    Althobaiti, Hana et al. “Disentangling the Cost of Orphan Drugs Marketed in the United States.”

    Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 11,4 558. 13 Feb. 2023, doi: 10.3390/healthcare11040558

  • 3

    2023 Accredo Data

  • 4

    Rare TRC Clinical metrics, 2022

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