Why Strong Leadership and Community-Focused Data Are Key for Increasing Health Equity in Specialty Pharmacy | Asembia's AXS25 Summit

At this year’s Asembia meeting in Las Vegas, Shawn Griffin, M.D., president and CEO of URAC, touched on the critical role of leadership when initiating health equity efforts in specialty pharmacy.

Griffin shared with Managed Healthcare Executive, before his presentation, that strong leadership requires a deep understanding of the communities organizations serve, as well as a commitment to making health equity a core priority rather than a temporary initiative.

Griffin pointed out that health disparities are not just rural or urban issues, but they often exist side-by-side in metropolitan areas.

He stressed that achieving health equity demands leaders who view quality improvement through the lens of their specific patient populations.

Whether serving a small local community or a large, multi-state network, organizations must measure outcomes, track disparities and take action to address them, he urged.

“For us, health equity is not about, ‘oh, it has to be economic, it has to be racial, it has to be gender,’” Griffin said. “This is about looking at your population and addressing it.”

In addition to strong leadership, Griffin highlighted the importance of collecting and using the right data.

He encouraged specialty pharmacies to broaden their view beyond just the patients who walk through their doors and to consider barriers facing those who cannot easily access services.

For example, pharmacies located in inaccessible buildings should rethink their physical environment, while those serving diverse communities should offer language assistance and culturally sensitive communication.

Griffin also noted that some pieces and parts of data collection, such as language assessments, are required for health equity accreditation, but most efforts focus on understanding patient outcomes and gaps in access.

He said that improving health equity is a continuous process: measuring outcomes, identifying where inequities exist and finding creative solutions to close those gaps.

Lastly, Griffin added that URAC’s health equity accreditation is like a financial audit, but for quality.

He explained that to succeed, organizations need support from everyone—from top leaders to frontline staff. This way, efforts to reformulate health disparities and have them become part of everyday work, is not just a separate project.

Without leadership involvement, Griffin warned that health equity efforts risk becoming “the flavor of the week,” if they are neglected when priorities shift.