Advocacy & Practice Updates — Advocacy & Practice
ASRS Advocacy Success: Oscar Health Drops Specialty Pharmacy Requirement
Thanks to the vigilance and engagement of ASRS members and leaders, we’re pleased to share an advocacy win. At the request of the ASRS, Oscar Health agreed to meet and discuss its policy requiring the use of specialty pharmacy for retinal medications. After reviewing feedback from retina specialists regarding the challenges of sourcing ophthalmic injectable drugs at the point of care, Oscar Health has decided to exclude these medications from its specialty pharmacy requirement.
Instead of changes taking effect October 1, retina specialists will be able to continue using their current buy-and-bill procurement models. The update will be reflected in the next edition of the Oscar Provider Manual.
We sincerely thank our members for their continued vigilance in identifying and reporting policies that impact patient access to timely and effective care. Your engagement is vital to our advocacy efforts—please keep sharing your challenges and experiences with the ASRS.
(Published 9.30.25)