Shields Health Solutions, a leading specialty pharmacy accelerator, has announced a strategic partnership and investment in Foundation Health, a healthcare technology company specializing in AI-powered pharmacy workflows, to integrate advanced artificial intelligence into specialty pharmacy services across Shields’ national network of health system partners.
The collaboration aims to advance and elevate specialty pharmacy care across the nation by integrating Foundation Health’s AI technology into Shields’ suite of specialty pharmacy services. The initial phase of the partnership will concentrate on streamlining prior authorizations (PA), a critical administrative process often cited as a significant obstacle to timely medication access.
Following the initial focus on prior authorizations, the partnership plans to expand AI-enabled workflows to encompass additional pharmacy use cases. These include medication adherence programs, enhancing patient experience, optimizing financial assistance, and improving care coordination. By automating and streamlining these processes with AI-driven tools, the initiative seeks to reduce administrative burden on pharmacy and clinical teams, allowing them to dedicate more time to direct patient interactions.
Prior authorizations are a major challenge in healthcare, with 94% of providers reporting care delays due to these requirements, according to the American Medical Association (AMA). The application of AI to these workflows is intended to enhance treatment access for specialty patients and increase the capacity of healthcare providers to serve more individuals.
As part of the agreement, Shields will make a significant investment in Foundation Health. This investment is intended to further advance and expand the role of technology across various specialty pharmacy workflows, financial assistance programs, and other key areas. This collaboration is set to foster new digital capabilities, positioning both organizations to accelerate innovation and anticipate emerging needs in integrated specialty pharmacy care for millions of patients with complex conditions.
Michael Ham, CEO of Shields Health Solutions, stated, “This partnership will combine Foundation Health’s robust experience in pharmacy technology with Shields’ mission to keep the human touch at the core of what we do best – taking care of complex patients.” He added that after evaluating numerous AI solutions, Foundation Health was chosen as the premier partner due to its ability to deliver measurable, scalable results and its alignment with Shields’ values of compassionate patient care.
Umar Afridi, Founder and CEO of Foundation Health, commented on the partnership, highlighting a “shared commitment to elevating patient care and easing the administrative burden on care teams.” He emphasized that by utilizing AI and Foundation Health’s technology across Shields’ network, clinicians can be freed to focus on delivering exceptional patient care.
Shields Health Solutions currently partners with nearly 80 health systems nationwide, offering solutions that help patients receive medications faster, reduce co-pays, and improve health outcomes. The company’s Performance Platform focuses on elevating payer and drug access, health outcomes for complex patients, and growth for health systems. Foundation Health, a healthcare technology company, aims to deliver affordable, tech-enabled pharmacy and telehealth experiences at scale, with its PAIGE AI platform designed to automate patient communications and prior authorizations.
