Shields Health Solutions, a national specialty pharmacy accelerator, is partnering with Manchester-based Elliot Health System to launch a new pharmacy program they say will meet the needs of patients with complex, chronic conditions.

The program will increase access to specialized pharmacy services and is designed to lower costs, expand treatment options, enhance medication management, and improve overall health, the two organizations said in a press release.

The Elliot-Shields program will initially serve patients in clinics that focus on rheumatology, gastroenterology, neurology, pulmonology, oncology, endocrinology and family medicine.

Under the program, specialty pharmacy liaisons will guide patients and caregivers who fill prescriptions with Elliot Health System and will work with patients on-site. The liaisons will be able to assist patients and families with navigating barriers to care, such as health insurance prior authorizations or securing financial assistance, regardless of the location where they fill their prescription.

“Through our partnership with Shields, we can provide Elliot patients, and patients from other healthcare systems in our community, with expanded access to critical medications to achieve even greater positive health outcomes, particularly for the patients who require the highest degree of expertise to meet their needs,” said Molly Mortimer, Elliot Health System’s director of pharmacy services.

Shields currently partners with more than 75 health systems around the country and says it has helped patients reduce co-pays and improve medication adherence greater than 90 percent on average.