Across nearly 80 health system partners, Shields maintained high-quality care while experiencing annual growth in patient volume across diverse disease states

STOUGHTON, Mass. (March 3, 2026) – Shields Health Solutions (Shields), the nation’s leading specialty pharmacy accelerator, released its 2025 Clinical Outcomes Report, detailing exceptional patient outcomes across 12 chronic or complex disease states, including cystic fibrosis, hepatitis C, HIV, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), multiple sclerosis (MS), oncology, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and transplant. This year’s report included the addition of four new conditions: diabetes, hyperlipidemia, obesity, and rare diseases.

The Shields Clinical Outcomes Report provides deeper insight into the high-quality patient outcomes delivered through Shields’ integrated specialty pharmacy care model with nearly 80 health system partners nationwide. Across more than 50 integrated disease states and 2 million patients served, the results are a testament to Shields’ commitment to quality at scale.

“Managing complex conditions requires more than simply dispensing medication; it truly demands a patient-centered approach to improve access to specialty medications, reduce time to therapy, ensure medication adherence, and ultimately deliver better patient experiences and outcomes,” said Brian S. Smith, PharmD, Chief Pharmacy Officer at Shields Health Solutions. “Our annual Clinical Outcomes Report reinforces the positive clinical outcomes we deliver every day for the patients and families of our health system partners. This continues to show Shields’ unwavering commitment to help every patient achieve the best possible outcomes on their individual care journey.”

Shields has proven the efficacy of its specialty pharmacy programs highlighted in the following ways:

Obesity

  • Shields patients lost 9.8% of total body weight after 6 months, compared to the industry benchmark of 5%.
  • 92% of Shields patients receive and take medications on time, while the average is 80%.
  • Only 19.7% of Shields patients discontinued their GLP-1 RA therapy at 1 year, while average discontinuation rates are 46.5% for patients with Type 2 Diabetes and 64.5% without Type 2 Diabetes.
  • Why it matters: More than 75% of adults aged 20+ in the U.S. are classified as overweight or obese. Weight management programs are proven to improve obesity-related medical conditions, including the incidence of cardiovascular events. Additionally, people with obesity face higher medical costs; a 5% BMI drop can lower healthcare costs.

Oncology

  • Only 3.6% of Shields patients reported hospital and ER utilization due to oncology-related symptoms, compared to 20% with a National Network Group.
  • 92% of patients receive and take medications on time, compared to the industry benchmark of 80%.
  • 94% of Shields patients reported no missed days of planned activity, school or work.
  • Why it matters: Approximately 2 million people were diagnosed with cancer in 2025. By giving these patients, a proactive, tailored treatment protocol with structured and regular touchpoints, they have a higher likelihood of timely interventions and improved health outcomes.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

  • 95% of patients reported their condition has improved or been stable since onboarding with Shields.
  • 93% of patients adhere to medications, as compared to 80% of the industry standard.
  • 92% of patients reported no missed days of planned activities, school, or work – above the industry benchmark of 50%.
  • Why it matters: As an autoimmune and inflammatory disease, RA requires a combination of clinical examinations, lab work, and various medications to achieve low disease activity or near remission. Shields’ results indicate a higher quality of life for patients.

Download the 2025 Shields Clinical Outcomes Report HERE.

About Shields Health Solutions

Shields Health Solutions (Shields) is the premier specialty pharmacy accelerator in the country. The Shields Performance Platform–an integrated set of solutions, services, and technology–is intentionally designed to elevate payer and drug access for specialty pharmacies, elevate health outcomes for complex patients, and elevate growth throughout the entire health system. As the foremost experts in the health system specialty pharmacy industry, Shields has a proven track record of success including access to over 90% of all limited distribution drugs (LDDs) and most payers in the nation, and clinical model proven to lower total cost of care by 13%. In partnership with more than 80 health systems across the country, Shields is committed to delivering measurable clinical and financial results. For more, follow us on social media via LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.

 

Contacts

Jeff Cramer
Director, Communications and Corporate Affairs
jcramer@shieldsrx.com