Amber Specialty Pharmacy Exec Earns 2021 Specialty Pharmacy Service Excellence Award
The National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP) has presented Peggy Tomes, SVP of auditing and quality assurance at Hy-Vee subsidiary Amber Specialty Pharmacy, with the Specialty Pharmacy Service Excellence Award.
“When I started with Amber Specialty Pharmacy, it didn’t take long for me to gravitate toward caring for our transplant patients,” noted Tomes. “I’m proud to help our organization uphold our transplant legacy and extend that same level of passionate care to all the disease states we support today. Thank you to my peers and NASP for this honor and award.”
The award recognizes an industry professional who isn’t a pharmacist, but has demonstrated a commitment to delivering high-quality service and care to patients. Tomes was honored for her commitment to and passion for patient care throughout her career. During her more than two decades with Amber Specialty Pharmacy, Tomes has held nearly all patient-facing roles, including welcome calls, refill reminder calls and benefit verifications. Currently, she’s a resource for all employees with her deep knowledge of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) regulations and billing procedures. Tomes has lobbied in Washington, D.C., and given presentations to lawmakers and clinical experts on issues that directly affect transplant patients. Tomes’ voice and involvement was also key in persuading CMS to reconsider and ultimately revise its language regarding policy change that had an impact on the shipment of transplant medications.
“Peggy is incredibly deserving of this award, and we are happy her peers thought so, too,” said Kristin Williams, president of Omaha, Neb.-based Amber Specialty Pharmacy, which has an additional 20 locations throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. “Peggy has been with Amber Specialty Pharmacy since day one and has helped shape some of the most important elements of our business and patient care strategies. This award celebrates and recognizes Peggy’s impact on our patients and the industry at large.”
Washington, D.C.-based NASP is the only nonprofit national association representing all stakeholders in the specialty pharmacy industry. Amber Specialty Pharmacy was named the 2020 Specialty Pharmacy of the Year by the organization.
Employee-owned Hy-Vee has a team of more than 93,000 employees and operates 285-plus retail stores across eight Midwestern states. The West Des Moines, Iowa-based company is No. 34 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
