The partnership, and investment from Shields, aims to enhance workflows for high-touch medications with innovative pharmacy operations technology, improving patient experience and reducing administrative burden.
STOUGHTON, Mass. (Jan. 13, 2026) – Shields Health Solutions (Shields), the nation’s leading specialty pharmacy accelerator, and Foundation Health, a healthcare technology company delivering comprehensive AI‑powered workflows across pharmacy operations and care coordination, today announced a strategic partnership to integrate Foundation Health’s AI-powered pharmacy technology into the full suite of specialty pharmacy services Shields offers its network of health system partners. This partnership aims to advance and elevate specialty pharmacy care nationwide.
Through this partnership, Foundation Health’s AI technology will further enable Shields’ best-in-class specialty pharmacy workflows across its robust national footprint. The partnership will initially focus on prior authorizations (PA), with plans to expand AI-enabled workflows across additional pharmacy use cases, including medication adherence, patient experience, financial assistance, and care coordination.
By integrating AI-driven tools to streamline and automate PA processes, Shields and Foundation Health will reduce administrative burden and enable pharmacy and clinical teams to remain focused on meaningful patient interactions. The combination of Shields’ deep clinical and operational expertise and Foundation Health’s AI technology underpins a differentiated approach for modernizing pharmacy operations while upholding the highest standards of patient care.
“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,” said Michael Ham, CEO of Shields Health Solutions. “After evaluating nearly every AI enablement solution on the market, we believe Foundation Health is the premier partner to deliver measurable and scalable results. It was paramount for us to identify a partner that shares our values and purpose: caring for patients with compassion, kindness, and integrity. This partnership allows us to start addressing ways AI can meaningfully optimize workflows without sacrificing the human touch that is central to our differentiated care model.”
Prior authorizations continue to be one of the biggest obstacles to timely medication access, with 94% of providers reporting care delays tied to these requirements, according to the American Medical Association (AMA). By applying AI to streamline PA workflows, the partnership will enhance treatment access for specialty patients and expand the capacity to care for more individuals.
Additionally, Shields will make a significant investment in Foundation Health to advance and expand the role of technology across specialty pharmacy workflows, financial assistance programs, and other key areas — helping form new digital capabilities that will shape the future of integrated specialty pharmacy care. This investment and collaboration position the organizations to accelerate innovation, anticipate emerging needs, and advance care for millions more patients with complex conditions.
“Driven by a shared commitment to elevating patient care and easing the administrative burden on care teams, we’re thrilled to partner with Shields Health Solutions to transform how prior authorization challenges are solved. By harnessing the power of AI and our technology across Shields’ national network of health system partners, we can free clinicians to focus on what matters most — delivering exceptional care to their patients,” said Umar Afridi, Founder and CEO of Foundation Health.
Shields currently partners with nearly 80 health systems nationwide, helping patients receive medications faster, reduce co-pays, and improve health outcomes. For more information, visit www.shieldshealthsolutions.com.