Too often the image of the role of long term care pharmacies is limited. That means many care centers may not get all the benefits of partnering with long term care pharmacies. Far beyond making sure you have the right medication available for each patient, long term care pharmacies can also contribute to the team and to the organization’s financial picture. Take a look at three ways long term care pharmacies impact costs and care.
Long Term Care Pharmacies Take Part in Interdisciplinary Team Meetings
Long term care pharmacies can help physicians, nurses and pharmacy consultants collaborate in a team environment in an effort to provide improved care. When each of these disciplines work together in collaboration make a more meaningful contribution to the goal of improving care and outcomes.
This collaboration happens on an as needed basis, and ideally in interdisciplinary team meetings as well. Grane Rx understands the benefits of a collaborative interdisciplinary approach. To that end, Grane Rx integrates with our customers’ teams regularly. Through integrated partnerships, we have tackled critical issues, such as:
- rising medication costs
- changing regulations
- government-driven quality initiatives
- prevention of hospital readmissions
- technological advances
- polypharmacy
- resident-centered care
Do you think of your long term pharmacy provider as part of your team? If not, it may be time to invite them to the table.
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Long Term Care Pharmacies Optimize Costs
As noted above, long term care pharmacy partners can help address the rising cost of medication. Balancing costs with clinical appropriateness and outcomes is never easy. With medication costs ever on the rise, this is a constant challenge.
Long term care pharmacies can help develop solutions to optimize medication costs where clinically appropriate. Developing plans to contain medication costs involves constant review to make sure the most cost effective and clinically appropriate medications are included in the program.
Therapeutic interchange and preferred medication programs focus on costs and clinical appropriateness, while also making it easier for nursing to administer and monitor medications. Again, the interdisciplinary team approach pays off in cost savings and quality care.
In a Team Approach, Long Term Care Pharmacies use Technology to Simplify the Process
Technology is supposed to simplify our lives, but integrating existing technology with a new partner can be challenging. Grane Rx simplifies the the process by using software to communicate between a variety of software solutions their clients are already using. This leads to a smoother start in getting up and running with a new pharmacy provider.
For clients who haven’t yet chosen an eMAR, Grane Rx can help identify a solution to streamline the pharmacy process. Simplifying processes pays off in reduced staff time for particular tasks, reduced risk of errors, and often cost. Long term care pharmacy partners offer expertise in successful systems and solutions, but reaping benefits from simplified processes takes a team approach.
If you still think of pharmacy as outside of the team or separate from your organization, you’re missing out. Today’s long term care pharmacies bring a lot to the table to help centers excel at patient care and should be part of a team approach in connecting costs and patient outcomes. ]]>
