How a Specialty Pharmacy Group Improved Patient Adherence & Operational Efficiency with EnlivenHealth

Since 1998, Amber Specialty Pharmacy has been dedicated to serving the unique needs of specialty pharmacy patients and their providers. As specialty medications grew to represent 49% of total U.S. drug spend, Amber recognized that maintaining high-quality patient contact was requiring significantly more personnel hours. The pharmacy needed a scalable solution that would improve patient adherence, enhance the patient experience, boost satisfaction scores, and drive better clinical outcomes without sacrificing the personalized care their patients deserved.

In 2019, Amber partnered with EnlivenHealth to implement EnlivenHealth Reach, a comprehensive automated patient communication platform utilizing voice calls and SMS/text messaging. By strategically incorporating automated notifications for prescription refill reminders, shipment tracking, adherence surveys, and communication preference capture, Amber was able to reach patients through their preferred channels while freeing up pharmacy staff to focus on high-value clinical interactions. The results were immediate and substantial, with notable improvements across every key performance metric including a 5.88% increase in medication adherence scores and an 18.2% increase in their Net Promoter Score.

Challenges

Amber Specialty Pharmacy faced several interconnected challenges as the specialty pharmacy market continued its rapid expansion:

Growing Operational Demands: The increasing complexity and volume of specialty medications required pharmacy staff to spend more time on routine patient outreach, including refill reminders, shipment notifications, and follow-up calls. This growing administrative burden was limiting staff availability for therapy-focused patient care and clinical consultations.

Patient Adherence Concerns: Prior to implementing automated communications, Amber's Proportion of Days Covered (PDC) adherence score stood at 0.85, meaning the average patient had their medication on hand 85 out of every 100 days. While respectable, there was clear opportunity for improvement, particularly for patients who were difficult to reach by phone or who missed refill windows.

Communication Barriers: Many patients were not consistently reachable through traditional phone calls, leading to missed connections and delayed prescription refills. The pharmacy lacked insight into patient communication preferences and had no systematic way to engage patients through their preferred channels, particularly SMS/text messaging.

Resource Constraints: With call center agents spending significant time on outbound reminder calls and fielding routine inbound inquiries about shipment status, Amber needed to reallocate staff hours toward more meaningful clinical interventions and adherence support for high-risk patients.

Solution: EnlivenHealth Reach

EnlivenHealth Reach provided Amber Specialty Pharmacy with a comprehensive automated patient notification platform that seamlessly integrated with their existing pharmacy management system. The solution deployed four strategic communication campaigns:

Prescription Refill Reminders: Automated SMS/text messages reminded patients when refills were due, with embedded web links enabling instant self-service refill requests. Patients could also opt to speak directly with pharmacy staff through automated call transfer capabilities.

Prescription Shipment Notifications: Real-time automated voice calls and text messages provided patients with shipping carrier information and tracking details as soon as orders were dispatched, keeping patients informed about when to expect their medications.

Patient Medication Adherence Surveys: Targeted surveys delivered via automated communications helped identify patients at higher risk of non-adherence, allowing pharmacy staff to proactively intervene with personalized support and counseling.

Communication Preference and Consent Capture: A systematic campaign captured patient preferences for receiving notifications via SMS/text messaging, ensuring future communications reached patients through their preferred channels while maintaining TCPA compliance.

The platform's implementation focused on complementing—not replacing—Amber's high-touch patient care model. By automating routine notifications, EnlivenHealth Reach freed pharmacy staff to concentrate on clinical interventions, therapy management, and personalized patient counseling where human expertise adds the most value.

Outcomes

The implementation of EnlivenHealth Reach delivered measurable improvements across all of Amber Specialty Pharmacy's key performance indicators:

Patient Adherence Improved

5.88% increase in PDC scores: Overall adherence improved from 0.85 to 0.90, meaning patients now had their medication on hand an average of 90 out of every 100 days

53.3% increase in self-service refills: More patients proactively managed their refills through the convenient SMS/text web link

Patient Experience Enhanced

92% SMS/text delivery success rate: Messages consistently reached patients through their preferred communication channel

211% increase in SMS/text opt-in rate: Growing patient preference for text-based communication validated the channel strategy

94.7% increase in delivered refill reminders and shipment notifications via SMS/text: Patients received timely, actionable information when they needed it most

Patient Satisfaction Increased

18.2% increase in Net Promoter Score: Overall willingness to recommend Amber's services improved significantly

2% increase in call center reachability satisfaction: Patients appreciated easier access to pharmacy staff

<1% opt-out rate: Fewer than 1 in 100 patients chose to stop receiving text messages, indicating high value and relevance

Clinical Outcomes Improved

Patient "Emily," a 57-year-old with systemic lupus erythematosus, exemplified the clinical impact. Previously non-adherent with a PDC of 0.696 (missing 101 days of therapy in 2018-2019), Emily became 100% adherent after enrollment in automated refill reminders in October 2019. Her lupus symptoms improved measurably as a result of consistent medication use.

Operational Efficiency Gained

26% reduction in agent-initiated outbound calls: Staff spent less time on routine outreach

60% reduction in non-therapy related inbound inquiries: Proactive notifications answered common questions before patients needed to call

1,521 call center agent hours saved: Freed staff capacity was reallocated to clinical adherence support and therapy management

Reduced reshipment costs: Proactive shipment tracking reduced misplaced deliveries and associated costs

These results demonstrate that automated patient communications through EnlivenHealth Reach not only improved patient outcomes and satisfaction but also created operational efficiencies that allowed Amber Specialty Pharmacy to scale their personalized care model sustainably as they continue to grow.

For more information about how EnlivenHealth can help your specialty pharmacy improve patient communication and outcomes, schedule a demo today!

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