5 Positive Impacts Meds2Home Creates for Long-term Care Providers

Medication nonadherence is a common issue in the United States, contributing to as much as $300 billion in avoidable health-related costs each year. Because seniors often take multiple medications, they are at high risk for nonadherence and hospital readmissions, making this an area of emphasis for both PACE pharmacy and long-term care pharmacy. While residents are cared for in a Skilled Nursing Facility, their medication needs are overseen by medical and pharmacy providers. However, issues can arise during care transition, as these residents are transitioned to the home environment. Fortunately, there is a solution. Grane Rx offers a program called Meds2Home™ that dispenses and ships patients’ medications to their homes. Meds2Home is offered for both SNF residents following discharge and PACE participants. Let’s take a look at five ways that Meds2Home can benefit your long-term care organization.

Meds2Home Benefit 1: Increases Referral Opportunities From Hospitals

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is placing particular emphasis on reducing rehospitalizations among long-term care residents. This emphasis can be clearly seen in the inclusion of multiple quality standards related to hospitalization. Hospitals are also dinged when patients are rehospitalized. Because of this, hospitals are increasingly looking to refer patients to long-term care organizations with clear plans for keeping patients out of the hospital. Meds2Home helps to improve medication adherence among these patients, which in turn, lowers the risk of rehospitalization. This would make facilities using Meds2Home more attractive to hospitals for patient referral.

Meds2Home Benefit 2: Provides an Additional Layer of Care for Patients

While in a Skilled Nursing Facility, residents aren’t responsible for managing their own medication regimens. Due to the complexity of those regimens, many find them easily confusing after discharge. Meds2Home can help ease the transition for these patients—and also provides PACE participants with access to their medications without needing to leave their homes. [Tweet “5 ways the Grane Rx Meds2Home program positively impacts #longtermcare providers”]

Meds2Home Benefit 3: Improves Patient Satisfaction

More than anything, patients want to feel valued and like their needs are understood. Meds2Home helps bridge the gap when it comes to prescription medications. Medications are delivered to a patient’s home in organized packaging, with easy-to-understand labels that identify exactly when medications should be taken. This helps give peace of mind to patients, which improves their satisfaction with the services they’ve received.

Meds2Home Benefit 4: Offers a Smoother Care Transition

Beyond the benefits for SNF residents as they transition to home, the Skilled Nursing Facility also benefits from a smoother care transition. SNF staff can feel assured that their discharged residents will receive the medications they need—and that they’ll understand how and why to take them. In addition, a Grane Rx care coordinator provides an extra layer of support, checking in with patients about their medications on a regular basis and then reporting back to the long-term care provider.

Meds2Home Benefit 5: Provides an Adherence Tool for Patients

In addition to clearly labeled medication packaging, patients also receive educational information about each medication they take. Patients who understand what their medications are for are more likely to continue taking them as prescribed. The Grane Rx EasyRead Pharmacy Solution provides them with this information by including an image of each medication along with the medication name, a description of the tablet or capsule, and the indication for use of the medication. The Grane Rx Meds2Home program is only one facet of what makes our post-acute care pharmacy services different. To get started, call (866) 824-MEDS (6337). ]]>