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CSI Pharmacy Expands Specialty Infusion Services in the Midwest

NASH, Texas, April 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — CSI Pharmacy, an independent, national specialty pharmacy and home infusion provider, announced today the opening of its third regional pharmacy location. Operating out of West Chester, OH, the new location greatly expands the company’s current dispensing capabilities.

“With the recent opening of our Connecticut pharmacy in February, the addition of our Ohio location positions CSI Pharmacy as a national player in the specialty infusion industry,” said COO Randy Broyles, RPh. “Multiple locations help us not only compete more effectively in local markets, but also improves our ability to secure in-network status with some regional and national insurance providers.”

“The addition of our Ohio location positions CSI Pharmacy as a national player in the specialty infusion industry.”

“It also means we are better prepared operationally in case of emergencies,” added Chief Pharmacy Officer, Jack Lemley, PharmD. “Having the capacity to shift dispensing locations in case of severe weather or other disruption means our customers have an extra layer of security with their care.”

The new state-of-the-art facility allows for complete duplication of its primary pharmacy operations in Nash, Texas. With 12,000 square feet of space, the West Chester pharmacy provides space for additional medication storage and distribution capacity, as well as a multi-chair infusion suite.

“While the vast majority of our customers are infused at home, infusion suites offer important benefits to some patients,” Lemley explained. “Those might be patients who either like the social environment of an infusion suite, require a higher level of clinical monitoring, don’t want to store their medications and supplies at home, or otherwise can’t or don’t want to bring their medical treatment home with them.”

About CSI Pharmacy

CSI Pharmacy is a national specialty pharmacy dedicated to serving patients with chronic and rare illnesses. Founded by pharmacists in 2014, the company specializes in treating rare diseases with biologics and plasma-derived therapies. It employs specially trained infusion nurses to provide these treatments to patients around the country. CSI continues to be led by co-founder and CEO, James Sheets, PharmD. Today, CSI Pharmacy is licensed to dispense in 48 states, plus D.C., and is accredited by two of the nation’s leading specialty pharmacy accrediting bodies: the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) and URAC.

SOURCE CSI Pharmacy, LLC

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CSI Pharmacy Announces Limited Distribution Agreement for Gammaplex

NASH, Texas, March 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — CSI Pharmacy, LLC, an independent, national specialty pharmacy and home infusion provider, today announced an agreement with Bio Products Laboratory (BPL) for limited distribution rights to its immune globulin product Gammaplex®.

Access to Gammaplex means CSI Pharmacy is now able to dispense all FDA-approved immune globulin products. The company expects to begin stocking Gammaplex immediately.

“Gammaplex not only expands our product portfolio, but it increases treatment options for patients who have various conditions,” said COO Randy Broyles, RPh. “By diversifying our portfolio with BPL and other plasma product manufacturers, we’re strengthening our industry partnerships, as well as strengthening the supply chain for our patients and customers.”

Immune globulin products contain human antibodies, derived primarily from donated human plasma. Multiple immune globulin products are manufactured for the U.S. market. They are commonly used to treat conditions such as primary and secondary immunodeficiencies, autoimmune neurological and dermatological disorders, as well as hundreds of other conditions believed to be immune mediated.

“We want to thank BPL for trusting CSI to deliver a positive patient experience with its products,” remarked co-founder and CEO James Sheets, PharmD. “As our company continues to grow, we will need partnerships like this one to secure product availability for customers, now and into the future.”

A CSI PHARMACY

CSI Pharmacy is a national specialty pharmacy dedicated to serving patients with chronic and rare illnesses. Founded by pharmacists in 2014, the company specializes in treating rare diseases with biologics and plasma-derived therapies. It employs specially trained infusion nurses to provide these treatments to patients around the country. CSI continues to be led by co-founder and CEO, James Sheets, PharmD. Today, CSI Pharmacy is licensed to dispense in 48 states, plus D.C., and is accredited by two of the nation’s leading specialty pharmacy accrediting bodies: the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) and URAC.

SOURCE CSI Pharmacy, LLC

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CSI Pharmacy Expands Specialty Infusion Services on the East Coast

NASH, Texas, Feb. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — CSI Pharmacy, LLC, an independent, national specialty pharmacy and home infusion provider, announced today the opening of its second pharmacy location. Operating out of Enfield, CT, the new location augments the company’s current national dispensing capabilities, previously centralized in Nash, Texas.

“The opening of our Connecticut pharmacy signals the next step in CSI Pharmacy’s growth strategy,” said co-founder and CEO James Sheets, PharmD. “Having a presence on the East Coast gives us, not only additional capacity to expand within a highly populous region, but additional resources to be able to respond rapidly to customers’ needs and continue providing five-star service to existing customers.”

The new 4,000-square foot facility reinforces the company’s ability to serve patients and referral sources across the eastern United States, with more state pharmacy licensures planned for in the coming months. The additional location enables CSI Pharmacy to navigate complex payer and regulatory requirements more effectively in the region. Moreover, it offers redundant pharmacy services, distribution, and medication storage capabilities in the event of localized service disruptions.

“We are working carefully to solidify our national presence by building a robust pharmacy network,” said COO Randy Broyles, RPh. “Connecticut offers a prime location for us to begin moving toward that goal.”

CSI Pharmacy is also nearing completion of a third pharmacy, to be announced in the coming weeks.

“The home setting continues to grow as the preferred setting for infused medications,” Sheets added. “Patients want choices, and they deserve choices,” he continued. “The more we expand, the better we can meet this growing demand. But we’re adamant that we will not sacrifice the personalized attention our customers rightfully expect.”  

About CSI Pharmacy

CSI Pharmacy is a national specialty pharmacy dedicated to serving patients with chronic and rare illnesses. Founded by pharmacists in 2014, the company specializes in treating rare diseases with biologics and plasma-derived therapies. It employs specially trained infusion nurses to provide these treatments to patients around the country. CSI continues to be led by co-founder and CEO, James Sheets, PharmD. Today, CSI Pharmacy is licensed to dispense in 48 states, plus D.C., and is accredited by two of the nation’s leading specialty pharmacy accrediting bodies: the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) and URAC.

SOURCE CSI Pharmacy, LLC

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Building a Myositis Team in Texas

When Salman Bhai, MD and his wife were looking around for a place to settle into their careers last year, they decided Dallas was where they wanted to be.

“We were looking for a place that would support us,” he says. “Both of our families are here. We’re originally from Dallas, so this has always been home.”

Along with coming home, Dr. Bhai wanted to bring to the area his expertise as a neuromuscular specialist and a myositis researcher. His goal is to build a regional multidisciplinary clinic that specializes in myositis care. Such centers exist in other areas of the country—Baltimore, Boston, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, for example—but they are notably lacking in the South.

In Texas, Dr. Bhai was given the opportunity to create this specialty care clinic and be part of vibrant clinical and scientific communities. He serves as the Director of the Neuromuscular Center at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine, a joint institute between the University of Texas Southwestern and Texas Health.

“We are developing a myositis center where patients don’t have to travel so far to get the care that they need and deserve,” he says. “It will also be multidisciplinary, so they don’t have to keep coming back and forth to see different specialists. We will have everyone in one place.”

Dr. Bhai was fascinated by neurology when he was in medical school. He found the nervous system to be especially interesting because of its complexity, and he knew there was a lot more to be learned about its function and impact on people’s lives. As a neurology resident, he gravitated toward patients with neuromuscular challenges and did clinical fellowships with some of the country’s most renowned myositis experts in Boston.

 “Myositis patients have muscle disease as well as systemic involvement,” he says. “I especially enjoy speaking with patients and trying to understand the issues they have, because we can make a big difference. It requires multimodal care, and it’s a long-term relationship. These patients don’t just need medication. They need a good doctor-patient-caregiver relationship to help them achieve the best outcomes.”

Dr. Bhai is also an Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center where he cares for patients with a range of autoimmune neuromuscular conditions, including myasthenia gravis, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS).

The myositis center will also be a research institute. Dr. Bhai is collaborating with other researchers at UT Southwestern on projects to better understand all forms of the disease and to develop new therapies to treat them.

Already there is a biobank in place where muscle biopsies and other de-identified patient specimens can be stored for research. The center will also serve as a site for clinical trials—Dr. Bhai currently serves as site investigator for nine clinical trials—where those with myositis can participate in testing of new therapies and diagnostics.

And because exercise is such an important part of the treatment plan for those with myositis, once COVID restrictions are no longer a problem, Dr. Bhai wants to include an exercise program in the mix. His hope is this will be a place where patients can come together not just for an exercise class, but to meet others who have their disease, share their experiences, learn from each other, and serve as a support network.

Raising awareness of myositis among new medical practitioners and trainees is also a priority.

“These patients are rare. You don’t see them every day,” Dr. Bhai says. “My hope is when trainees join me in clinic, they will see more of these cases than they might otherwise. Whether they’re trying to learn how to perform muscle biopsies or exercise testing, or they want to see what myositis looks like in a patient, I want to help support that.”

Dr. Bhai’s own research stems from his personal interest in exercise.

“I think muscle is quite beautiful and complicated, but we treat it too simply,” he says. “We think of it only as something that allows us to move. But in fact, it communicates with the rest of the body. Muscle tissue releases factors that influence your brain, your gut, and other muscles. Because of these factors, we know that exercise improves quality of life, it improves overall muscle health, and it improves mental health. Most people should exercise, even those who have a muscle disease like myositis.”

Dr. Bhai’s current research involves understanding why people with myositis experience exercise intolerance and fatigue, even when their disease is well-controlled. He’s trying to understand the biology of muscles, especially the mitochondria (tiny structures in the cell that generate energy). And he’s exploring genetic markers in the blood to see how these markers released by muscle tissue are different in those with myositis and how that produces the symptoms they feel.

“My goal is to create a partnership with a broad team,” Dr. Bhai says. “Not just with practitioners but also with the patient, the family, the caregivers, their pets, their support team. Everyone. I really want to have a patient-centered approach that brings change to those who live with this disease. That’s when patients get the best care.”

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Open Enrollment is NOW

Do you feel like you are paying too much for healthcare services and prescription drugs under your current health insurance plan? Does your insurer require you to try and fail at less costly therapies before allowing the treatment your doctor has prescribed? Is the medication your doctor prescribed denied by because it isn’t listed on your plan’s formulary?

Now may be the most important time of the year if you are dissatisfied with your health insurance coverage. We are currently in the middle of Open Enrollment season for Medicare and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace plans. For those insured under employer plans, the end of the year is also a time when new or updated plans are often offered, allowing employees to make changes to their benefits plans.

The following are important deadlines to keep in mind for applying for or making changes to insurance coverage for 2022:

  • Medicare Open Enrollment ends December 7.
  • ACA Open Enrollment ends January 15 (coverage starts February 1).
    • Deadline for ACA coverage to start on January 1 is December 15.
  • For employer plans, check with your human resources manager.

CSI Pharmacy is here to help you navigate the system. We are experts at understanding the fine print in health insurance policies. We can help you review your options and find the plan that best meets your healthcare needs as well as your budget.

For those who are having trouble paying for healthcare coverage, here are some options that can help:

Medicare Assistance Programs – If you are unable to afford Medicare premiums, several types of State Medicare Savings Programs are available to help you pay your Medicare premiums. In some cases, they may also pay deductibles, coinsurance, copayments, and prescription drug coverage costs. Each of the programs has different eligibility criteria. There are even programs that allow individuals who delayed enrollment into either Medicare Part A or Part B to enroll outside regular enrollment periods. In some cases, qualifying for these programs automatically qualifies you to get Extra Help to pay for Medicare drug coverage.

To see if you qualify for these programs and to apply, contact your State Medicaid Program or Department of Social Services. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to get the phone number for your state’s Medicaid office.

Extra Help – If you meet certain income and resource limits, you may qualify for Extra Help in paying for your Medicare prescription drug plan premiums, deductibles, and copays. Depending on your income and state of residence, you may pay less or nothing for premiums and deductibles, and copays are capped at an affordable rate.

For additional information and to see if you qualify, see the Extra Help webpage at Medicare.gov. In some cases, you may automatically qualify if you qualify for the Medicare Savings Programs above. If you don’t automatically qualify, there is a link on the Extra Help page where you can apply.

Medicaid is a joint federal/state program that helps with medical costs for those with limited income and resources. Each state has different eligibility requirements and application processes. You can now apply for Medicaid either through the ACA Marketplace or directly with your state Medicaid agency. See this website for more information and to see if you qualify. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to get the phone number for your state’s Medicaid office.

PACE – Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) is a comprehensive healthcare program through Medicare and Medicaid that helps individuals remain in the community rather than going to a nursing home or other extended care facility. The program provides a team of healthcare professionals who work with you and your family to coordinate your care. It covers all the services this team decides you need, including drugs, provider visits, transportation, home care, hospital care, and nursing home stays when needed.

You never pay a deductible or copay for any drug or service provided. If you are covered by Medicaid, long-term care is also fully covered. If you have Medicare but not Medicaid, there is a monthly premium for long-term care and Medicare drug coverage (Part D). Enrolling in PACE, however, means you are required to use a PACE-preferred physician and the other providers associated with the plan.

PACE is only available in some states and only in some areas. To qualify, you must:

  • Be 55 or older
  • Live in the service area of a PACE organization
  • Need nursing home-level care (as certified by your state)
  • Be able to live safely in the community with help from PACE

To find out if you qualify and if there is a PACE program in your area, search for PACE plans in your state, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to get the phone number for your state’s Medicaid office.

Veterans Benefits – If you qualify for health benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), you can receive both Medicare and VA benefits, but they don’t work together. Medicare doesn’t pay for any care provided at a VA facility, which is the only place VA benefits are offered. Many veterans use their VA benefits to get services not covered by Medicare, such as prescription drugs. For more about eligibility and benefits, call the VA Health Administration Center at 1-800-733-8387 or 1-877-222-8387.

ACA Marketplace – Uninsured individuals and families who do not qualify for the government-funded programs above can still get coverage, often at a discount, through the ACA Health Insurance Marketplace, also known as the Exchange. ACA plans are offered through private insurers participating in the Exchange. They all provide the same essential health benefits, and you cannot be denied based on pre-existing conditions. You can review plans and apply for coverage at Healthcare.gov. In completing the application, you can also see if you qualify for free or low-cost coverage through Medicaid, or for savings on a Marketplace plan.

Marketplace plans and insurers change every year. This year premium subsidies enacted under the COVID-related American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) last year are still in effect for 2022. This means many Americans will qualify for lower premiums. The number of insurance companies participating has also increased, so there are more options to choose from. If you currently have a Marketplace plan, you may want to consider exploring these options to see if you can find a more affordable rate rather than allowing you current plan to auto-reenroll.

If you make changes to your health insurance coverage, be sure to notify your healthcare providers and your pharmacist so the transition to the new plan is smooth.