From Start to Scale: Introducing the CoverMyMeds Expanded Access and Affordability Services for Specialty Therapies Ahead of HIMSS 2026

For years, health systems, providers and care teams supporting specialty therapies have been asked to operate under extraordinary pressure. I see it firsthand: clinicians are navigating rising patient complexity alongside a technology landscape that too often adds work instead of removing it -- particularly in specialty care, where accessing therapy frequently requires juggling as many as nine different digital tools just to move a patient forward.^{[0]CoverMyMeds Platform, data on file. 2024.} Nowhere is this tension more visible than in the medication access journey, where helping a patient start a prescribed treatment means navigating a maze of disconnected systems, manual tasks and fragmented workflows. For patients waiting to begin life altering therapies, particularly in areas such as oncology and ophthalmology, even small delays can have significant consequences.

At CoverMyMeds, we believe there is a more connected and clinician friendly way forward. That belief is something I share deeply, and it’s at the heart of our new, expanded services in access and affordability, which we’re proud to introduce ahead of HIMSS 2026. Built to accelerate access from the moment a therapy is ordered, our first-of-its kind offering includes medical prior authorization -- uniting benefits investigation, pharmacy prior authorization and patient services enrollment in a single, fully integrated, EHR embedded experience.

When Patient Access Gets in the Way of Patient Care

Today, to complete benefits investigations, initiate prior authorizations and connect patients with support services, care teams often rely on up to nine separate digital tools, each with its own workflows and data requirements.^{[0]CoverMyMeds Platform, data on file. 2024.} In my conversations with clinicians, many share that some of their most time consuming tasks include phone calls, emails and repeated EHR data entry -- activities that pull focus away from patients and contribute to daily fatigue.

The consequences of this fragmentation extend far beyond inconvenience, creating real challenges for both care teams and patients:

• Avoidable delays that slow the start of therapy
• Increased variability that makes it difficult for teams to predict workloads or manage throughput
• Higher risk of therapy abandonment, as patients face uncertainty about coverage or available support during an already stressful period

Consider a patient newly diagnosed with cancer who has been prescribed a specialty oncology therapy. While their care team works across multiple digital tools to check eligibility, investigate benefits, initiate and submit medical authorizations and enroll the patient in financial support programs -- progress stalls. Missing or mismatched information triggers follow up calls, administrative denials and authorization appeals, adding days (or weeks) to the start of treatment. During that waiting period, the patient receives little clarity on whether the therapy will be covered or affordable. Faced with mounting anxiety and unanswered questions, the patient may delay or decide not to move forward with therapy at all.

Perhaps most importantly, this environment erodes the clinician patient relationship. When clinicians spend so much of their time navigating administrative requirements, they have fewer opportunities for the meaningful interactions that fuel quality care and job satisfaction.

As an industry, we don’t need another closed system or isolated portal to log into. What we need is something that meets clinicians and their teams where they are -- something that truly reduces the workload of already stretched teams.

A Connected Experience Built for the Most Complex Clinical Workflows

We built the new services for providers and care teams with a clear goal in mind: to remove barriers, not create new ones. Instead of adding steps, we designed the platform to consolidate the most important access activities into a single digital experience that lives directly within the existing EHR.

Medical & Pharmacy Prior Authorization Automation

• Instantly identifies payer rules and requirements to eliminate manual research
• Automates repetitive administrative tasks that delay authorization timelines
• Utilizes EHR data, health plan information and PBM requirements to support complex cases
• Provides real time insights to improve scheduling and resource planning
• Reduces care coordinator workload and supports a more efficient process across payer types

Integrated Benefits Investigation

• Automates medical benefits verification and investigation
• Surfaces payer specific coverage details and requirements in real time
• Helps care teams understand what’s needed earlier in the workflow

Integrated Patient Services Enrollment

• Streamlines enrollment for specialty therapies within a single workflow
• Eliminates the need to navigate multiple portals or re enter information
• Simplifies access to financial assistance and patient support programs

EHR Embedded, End to End Workflow

• Allows clinicians to complete access tasks without toggling between systems, truly meeting them where they are
• Can be initiated when a therapy is ordered
• Creates consistent, predictable workflows across therapeutic areas and payer types
• Provides visibility into status throughout the process

All of this is supported by a modern underlying architecture built for rapid EHR integration, enabling health systems to scale the platform across departments while aligning clinical and operational needs.

Designed in Collaboration with the People Who Use It

In my experience, the most successful health care technology solutions share one defining characteristic: they are shaped by real clinicians. This new offering was built with direct input from the care teams closest to specialty access work (those coordinating benefits, navigating payer requirements, managing authorizations and ensuring patients don’t fall through the cracks) alongside health system leaders responsible for operational efficiency and sustainable use of resources.

Today’s decision makers face several competing priorities. They must reduce administrative tasks, protect clinician well being, maintain throughput and maximize reimbursement to meet financial targets -- all while avoiding disruption to existing systems. They need solutions that deliver immediate value, not lengthy implementations or complex training processes.

We intentionally designed these offerings to meet these expectations. It fits directly into existing EHR workflows, allowing clinicians to complete tasks in a familiar environment. It reduces repetitive work rather than adding to it. And early implementations have already shown promising improvements in efficiency and speed to therapy initiation.

Starting With High Impact Specialties

The platform’s first availability will focus on oncology and ophthalmology, where the need for speed and simplification is especially critical. These specialties face some of the highest administrative complexity, and delays in access can increase administrative burden and create uncertainty for patients and care teams.

The platform is already being deployed across select use cases, with broader availability planned for late 2026 and additional therapeutic areas rolling out on an ongoing basis. As we continue to expand capabilities, we remain focused on collaborating with health systems early -- so together we can shape a scalable, integrated solution that delivers meaningful clinical and operational impact from day one.

The Future of Patient Access Is Connected

The launch of CoverMyMeds’ expanded access and affordability services marks an important shift – from fragmented tools to a unified, automated access experience. For us, it represents a platform built to strengthen clinical relationships and help stakeholders across the health care community deliver better support programs through real time insights. Most importantly, it helps ensure patients begin therapy faster and with fewer obstacles.

We’re excited to share more at HIMSS 2026 and to connect with health systems, EHR vendors and industry partners who share our vision for a more efficient, patient centered future.

If you’ll be at HIMSS this year, we’d love to meet with you and show you the platform in action.

Schedule a meeting or visit our booth 1422 at HIMSS 2026.