AleraCare, Pure Healthcare are stronger together, Joe Cosgrove says

PHOENIX – AleraCare’s merger with Pure Healthcare, a medical group whose flagship brand is Pure Infusion Services, will enable the combined company to create a scalable national platform with patients at its center, says CEO Joe Cosgrove.

The combined company will now offer expanded home and alternate-site services in 14 states throughout the Western United States via 77 ambulatory infusion centers.

“The combination as I see it allows us to create a platform that's much, much stronger than that organization independently,” said Cosgrove. “(The platform marries) scale and sophistication with agility and operations, with patients our focus.”

Pure Infusion Suites delivers health care services for individuals with complex chronic conditions, including immunology, neurology, gastroenterology, rheumatology and ophthalmology.

Home infusion at center of several trends

In 2023, AleraCare underwent a rebrand to unite its existing businesses, positioning the company for future expansion in the growing home infusion market. Two years later, the company – and the market – are stronger than ever, says Cosgrove.

“Care has to move out of the hospital and that promotes more use of specialty and biologic therapies,” he said. “Patients are increasingly wanting treatment options that are convenient, cost-effective and safe. We feel we are very adept at meeting the needs of patients wherever they are.”

Widening gap between providers

Still, the home infusion market is not without its challenges. A combined AleraCare and Pure Healthcare are better positioned to weather reimbursement pressures, drug cost inflation and workforce constraints, says Cosgrove.

“We’re also seeing a widening gap between providers that can meet payer, manufacturer and regulatory expectations and those that can’t keep up,” he said. “That’s where we have scale, data and operational rigor that we will use to increase our brand. We feel we’re in a really good spot.”

Doing due diligence for the future

As AleraCare looks to differentiate itself from its competitors, it is staying up-to-date on the pharmaceutical pipeline, particularly where these companies are spending their money on research and development, says Cosgrove.

“We follow that carefully, and we also engage with pharma pre-approval so that they are fully aware of the capacity we have to bring their products to market,” he said.

AleraCare is making its own investments, particularly in technology. The company recently invested in artificial intelligence (AI) to improve revenue cycle management and prior authorizations, says Cosgrove. 

“At the end of the day, our goal is to be easy to work with for patients,” he said. “We want to earn our seat at the table and be known as an organization that delivers consistently high-quality while adapting to the needs of the health care system.”