With the start of a new year and the closure of one that has passed, January always acts as a time of reflection for us. In a time where primary care physicians have faced challenges like burnout, reduced visits, and tough recruitment times for clinical and administrative staff, we remain a constant. We aim to help our members. Atlantic Health Partners strives to deliver favorable pricing, payment, and purchasing terms for an array of pediatric, adolescent, adult, flu, and travel vaccines.
Though today’s healthcare landscape is not without its challenges, we continue helping our members navigate these obstacles and grow their practices. Aside from this, it has been another year of tremendous growth for our organization. At the core of our mission is our commitment to supporting healthcare providers with the delivery of immunizations and vaccines. This year our member immunization purchases topped $300 million with exceptional savings.
Growing our network is a critical way we can offer favorable pricing and best advocate for our members. We have extended our reach to include practices in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Expanding our membership across 8,500 locations has allowed us to diversify the healthcare organizations we serve, from medical practices, large health systems, and everything in between.
To support our expanded network and increase purchasing options, we’ve partnered with McKesson. Together, Atlantic Health Partners and McKesson can leverage their deep breadth of healthcare offerings to provide accurate, timely delivery of vaccines and improve patient outcomes. The partnership expands purchasing options and has enabled McKesson accounts to benefit from our immunization program; in less than a year we have assisted over 500 practices and expect strong, sustained growth.
New Year, New Healthcare Landscape
As we enter 2023, we renew our commitment to supporting, educating, and growing our member community. We’ve been tested over the last few years, but despite the unknowns and challenges amid COVID-19, our transparent communication and exceptional member support will remain a constant. In addition to receiving favorable vaccine pricing through our partner manufacturers, Atlantic Health Partners members also have access to our library of industry resources and blogs offering insights to help healthcare providers and organizations effectively immunize patients. Some of our most timely and popular blog topics of 2022 included our coverage on mRNA vaccines, tips for closing the pediatric immunization gap, and back-to-school vaccine recommendations. We'll continue sharing our insights and expertise across our member community into 2023 and beyond.
With evolving research and development comes more options for vaccines. While more options are a positive outcome, they may also cause confusion for physician practices. An increase in available vaccine offerings means more complexities to navigate, such as determining which vaccine regimens and/or products to use. We’ll continue to offer our expert recommendations to ensure the right decisions are made to maintain the most competitive pricing for your practice, and best represent our members’ interest with the manufacturers.
The approaching commercialization of COVID-19 vaccines is likely to have a lasting impact on the industry as they enter the private market. Healthcare providers across the country will ultimately need to decide whether they’ll offer these vaccines, with the expectations that local pharmacies will continue to be a source for vaccination. It’s a significant and complex financial and operational decision, and Atlantic Health Partners will be here to advise on the most effective solutions as these vaccines transition out of emergency status.
As technology continues to push the bounds of what we thought was possible in the industry, we are excited by new breakthroughs in vaccinology, particularly the development of mRNA vaccines.
“Last year was a time of growth for us, even with the uncertainty that loomed,” said Atlantic Health Partners President, Jeff Winokur. “We look forward to carrying the momentum we gained in 2022 into the year ahead. Leveraging our strong partnerships and industry expertise to uniquely offer our member community the best possible support will continue to be our top priority. We’re here to empower providers to protect their patients and communities.”