Driving better decisions in retina care: The power of data, insight, and partnership
By Besse Medical
Retina practices today are operating under extraordinary pressure. Rising drug and operating costs are outpacing rebate upside, declining value on certain products is forcing more deliberate purchasing decisions, and while some drug combinations can improve margins, adoption varies widely across practices. At the same time, administrators are managing reimbursement delays, navigating payer requirements, and responding to growing expectations for data transparency – all while contending with persistent staff turnover and physician recruitment challenges.
In an environment where every clinical, operational, and financial decision has downstream impact, retina practices need a partner who understands how those choices ripple across the entire business.
The pressures shaping daily decisions across retina practices
Across various customer feedback vehicles and touchpoints, three themes consistently emerge as top challenges and priorities for retina practices. The first is financial and margin optimization. Practices are working harder than ever to maximize net cost recovery (NCR), manage average sales price (ASP) volatility, and make product mix decisions that protect spread and cash flow. A single purchasing decision – choosing between two products, shifting to a new product, or evaluating biosimilars – can negatively impact another contract. Retina practices know these decisions matter, but they don’t always have the time or data to evaluate every impact.
The second pressure is access, funding, and reimbursement. Payer restrictions, step therapy requirements, and the unpredictability of support from patient assistance foundations continue to create administrative burden and uncertainty. Retina practices are increasingly relying on payment plans, navigating forced therapy switches, and managing reimbursement delays that strain cash flow. These challenges are especially acute for smaller practices and those in rural markets, where physician recruitment and patient affordability issues compound the complexity.
Finally, retina practices are faced with a growing expectation for data transparency and operational efficiency. Practices need and want deeper analytics, clearer visibility into pricing layers, and tools that help them understand the reasoning behind pricing and reimbursement decisions. Additionally, they’re looking for ways to reduce staff workload, streamline prior authorizations, and make decisions with confidence. With that said, the need for a strategic partner to provide intuitive, reliable, and actionable data is a priority.
How Cencora helps retina practices navigate these challenges
For nearly 20 years, Cencora has provided strategic support to retina practices of all sizes – from large aggregators to small, mid-sized, and independent groups – and is well-positioned to continue advancing its leadership within the specialty. What sets Cencora apart is not a single product, platform or contract. But rather, it is the combination of a consultative partnership model, technology paired with human expertise, and a structure intentionally designed to meet practices where they are. Our sales model differentiates support based on practice size, so every customer receives the specialized guidance they need from a deeply experienced team. The teams that support independent retina physicians, for example, are well-versed in the nuances of early-stage growth and buy-and-bill practices. As a testament to the customized support we provide, we receive many referrals from physicians who experienced the personalized, hands-on attention from their Cencora team.
Cencora’s approach to the retina market is grounded in the belief that the right solution starts with understanding the underlying issue. Instead of leading with a product or service, we begin with a strategic conversation. This discovery process helps uncover the root causes of a practice’s challenges and identifies which level – contracting, analytics, workflow, support, or product mix strategy – will actually solve the problem. Practices feel the difference: customers consistently tell us that having a partner who understands the intricacies of their business – such as contract interdependencies and the financial implication of each decision – is one of the most valuable aspects of working with us.
Once the core issue is identified, we work with practices to determine the appropriate solution from our suite of technology and analytics tools. These platforms help manage purchasing decisions and inventory, track rebates, benchmark performance, and support stronger business decisions overall. The real value, however, comes from pairing these tools with experienced teams who can interpret the data and help practices determine how to act. Our technology solutions are continuously enhanced based on customer feedback, with new releases every few weeks and advisory boards that ensure real-world needs shape future development.
The value of a true partnership
As the retina landscape continues to evolve – with new therapies, biosimilars, reimbursement shifts, and mounting financial pressures – practices need more than transactional support. They need a partner who can bring clarity to a complex environment, anticipate how decisions impact contracts and workflows, and strengthen long-term financial stability. Cencora’s blend of consultative guidance, technology shaped by real practice needs, and decades of specialty expertise positions retina practices to navigate today’s pressures with confidence – and to stay ahead of whatever comes next.
Across various customer feedback vehicles and touchpoints, three themes consistently emerge as top challenges and priorities for retina practices. The first is financial and margin optimization. Practices are working harder than ever to maximize net cost recovery (NCR), manage average sales price (ASP) volatility, and make product mix decisions that protect spread and cash flow. A single purchasing decision – choosing between two products, shifting to a new product, or evaluating biosimilars – can negatively impact another contract. Retina practices know these decisions matter, but they don’t always have the time or data to evaluate every impact.
The second pressure is access, funding, and reimbursement. Payer restrictions, step therapy requirements, and the unpredictability of support from patient assistance foundations continue to create administrative burden and uncertainty. Retina practices are increasingly relying on payment plans, navigating forced therapy switches, and managing reimbursement delays that strain cash flow. These challenges are especially acute for smaller practices and those in rural markets, where physician recruitment and patient affordability issues compound the complexity.
Finally, retina practices are faced with a growing expectation for data transparency and operational efficiency. Practices need and want deeper analytics, clearer visibility into pricing layers, and tools that help them understand the reasoning behind pricing and reimbursement decisions. Additionally, they’re looking for ways to reduce staff workload, streamline prior authorizations, and make decisions with confidence. With that said, the need for a strategic partner to provide intuitive, reliable, and actionable data is a priority.
How Cencora helps retina practices navigate these challenges
For nearly 20 years, Cencora has provided strategic support to retina practices of all sizes – from large aggregators to small, mid-sized, and independent groups – and is well-positioned to continue advancing its leadership within the specialty. What sets Cencora apart is not a single product, platform or contract. But rather, it is the combination of a consultative partnership model, technology paired with human expertise, and a structure intentionally designed to meet practices where they are. Our sales model differentiates support based on practice size, so every customer receives the specialized guidance they need from a deeply experienced team. The teams that support independent retina physicians, for example, are well-versed in the nuances of early-stage growth and buy-and-bill practices. As a testament to the customized support we provide, we receive many referrals from physicians who experienced the personalized, hands-on attention from their Cencora team.
Cencora’s approach to the retina market is grounded in the belief that the right solution starts with understanding the underlying issue. Instead of leading with a product or service, we begin with a strategic conversation. This discovery process helps uncover the root causes of a practice’s challenges and identifies which level – contracting, analytics, workflow, support, or product mix strategy – will actually solve the problem. Practices feel the difference: customers consistently tell us that having a partner who understands the intricacies of their business – such as contract interdependencies and the financial implication of each decision – is one of the most valuable aspects of working with us.
Once the core issue is identified, we work with practices to determine the appropriate solution from our suite of technology and analytics tools. These platforms help manage purchasing decisions and inventory, track rebates, benchmark performance, and support stronger business decisions overall. The real value, however, comes from pairing these tools with experienced teams who can interpret the data and help practices determine how to act. Our technology solutions are continuously enhanced based on customer feedback, with new releases every few weeks and advisory boards that ensure real-world needs shape future development.
The value of a true partnership
As the retina landscape continues to evolve – with new therapies, biosimilars, reimbursement shifts, and mounting financial pressures – practices need more than transactional support. They need a partner who can bring clarity to a complex environment, anticipate how decisions impact contracts and workflows, and strengthen long-term financial stability. Cencora’s blend of consultative guidance, technology shaped by real practice needs, and decades of specialty expertise positions retina practices to navigate today’s pressures with confidence – and to stay ahead of whatever comes next.
