Pharmacy Benchmarking in 2026: Turning Data Into Decisions
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In this episode of the Becker's Healthcare Podcast, Gracelyn Keller interviews Ryan Telford, Vice President of Portfolio Strategy at Accelerate Pharmacy Solutions, about the Pharmacy Outlook 2026 report. The discussion centers on how health system pharmacy leaders can leverage data and benchmarking to drive strategic decisions in an increasingly complex healthcare landscape. Telford highlights key challenges such as low internalization rates for specialty patients (only 54% managed internally), limited readiness for cell and gene therapies (just 4% of systems fully prepared), and persistent leakage due to payer restrictions and operational inefficiencies. He emphasizes that pharmacy leaders are uniquely positioned to lead multidisciplinary initiatives in infusion, patient access, and emerging therapies due to their expertise in medication management, coordination, and sustainability. The episode concludes with actionable insights on how CPOs can use benchmarking data to identify gaps, prioritize investments, and build infrastructure that supports both patient outcomes and organizational resilience. Key takeaways include: 1) Focus on core metrics like internalization rates, time-to-treat, and payer leakage to guide strategic decisions; 2) Strengthen foundational processes around patient access and affordability to reduce avoidable leakage; 3) Proactively build readiness for cell and gene therapies by forming specialized teams, projecting market demand, and engaging stakeholders early. Telford underscores pharmacy’s evolving role as a strategic leader in high-value, complex care areas, urging CPOs to embrace their leadership potential amid growing clinical and financial complexity.
Track internalization rates, time-to-treat, and payer leakage as core enterprise metrics to guide strategic decisions.
Strengthen foundational processes in patient access and affordability to reduce avoidable patient leakage.
Proactively build readiness for cell and gene therapies by forming specialized teams and engaging payers and manufacturers early.
Pharmacy leaders are uniquely positioned to lead multidisciplinary initiatives due to their expertise in medication management and care coordination.
Use benchmarking data to measure performance against peers and identify actionable gaps in specialty and infusion care.
Introduction and Overview of the Pharmacy Outlook 2026 Report
Gracelyn Keller introduces Ryan Telford and sets the stage for a discussion on the Pharmacy Outlook 2026 report, which surveyed over 100 health system pharmacy leaders to identify key priorities and benchmarks in pharmacy operations.
Core Metrics for CPOs: Driving Patient Outcomes and Sustainability
Telford identifies two critical domains for pharmacy leaders: measuring success in patient outcomes and ensuring operational sustainability. He highlights high-priority areas such as specialty pharmacy, infusion services, patient access, affordability, and regulatory changes.
Addressing Specialty Pharmacy Leakage and Internalization Gaps
The discussion focuses on the 54% average internalization rate for specialty patients and explores root causes like payer restrictions and structural inefficiencies. Telford outlines tactical steps to reduce leakage without overburdening frontline teams.
Preparing for the Future: Cell and Gene Therapy Readiness
“If we get that wrong, there's a lot of risk. And so I think that's what's starting to keep people up at night is to say it's not going to be some, you know, it's not going to be isolated to the areas that has been.”
The Strategic Leadership Role of Pharmacy in 2026
“Pharmacy is well positioned to be able to lead out for health systems in areas like infusion, like patient access and affordability, like cell and gene that are multidisciplinary but are high value.”
“Pharmacy is well positioned to be able to lead out for health systems in areas like infusion, like patient access and affordability, like cell and gene that are multidisciplinary but are high value.”
“I, you know, as a pharmacist, have never been more encouraged about what pharmacy can do for our patients and for our health systems in the face of the complexity that's facing us today.”
“If we get that wrong, there's a lot of risk. And so I think that's what's starting to keep people up at night is to say it's not going to be some, you know, it's not going to be isolated to the areas that has been.”
Host
Guest
Ryan Telford
person
Health Systems
organization
Gracelyn Keller
person
Cell and Gene Therapies
other
Pharmacy Outlook 2026 Report
other
Chief Pharmacy Officers
other
Specialty Pharmacy
other
Payers
organization
Infusion Therapy
other
Accelerate Pharmacy Solutions
organization
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