Our goal is to produce positive outcomes for the patients and create innovative solutions for the hospitals and the insurance companies. 

In 2012, President Obama passed a regulation that penalizes hospitals for readmissions that occur within 30 days of discharge for the same diagnosis.  In an effort to help hospitals and insurance companies reduce hospitalization costs, we developed a Hospital Readmission Reduction Program in 2013.  This program was designed to reduce hospital readmissions with the assistance of Clinical Pharmacists on site providing medication reconciliation, education, MTM and bedside delivery of discharge medications.

By performing these services in our Hospital Readmission Reduction Program, we were able to reduce unnecessary readmissions and hospitalization costs.  

Hospitals and Emergency Rooms
Behavioral Health Hospitals
Post-Acute Facilities

Medical Homes
Senior Living Facilities
Shelters

There are many preventable factors that lead to unnecessary readmissions and cost the healthcare system billions of dollars annually.

Lack of transportation to get to the pharmacy or lack of family and friends to assist

Ex: A patient is discharged from the hospital and when they get home, they do not have money or transportation to get to the pharmacy.  After a few days without taking the necessary medications, they experience a medical event, resulting in a readmission.

Poor medication reconciliation

Ex: Upon discharge, the patient receives 10 new medications, however, also has 10 old medications at home.  Without performing proper medication reconciliation, the patient takes the new meds with the old meds, resulting in duplicate therapy or a dangerous drug interaction, resulting in a readmission.

Physician forgets to prescribe a medication a patient needs to take after discharge

Ex: Patient with an infection needs to go home with an antibiotic medication or an asthma patient is discharged without any rescue inhaler resulting in an unnecessary readmission.
 

Lack of medication education

Ex: Patients are overwhelmed when in the hospital.  Without properly explaining what the medications are for, it can result in non-compliance or improper use of the medications that can lead to adverse reactions.  Many patients only know color of pills and tablets, but don’t know the purpose of the medications and their side effects.

Prior Authorizations (PARs)

Ex: Patient receives 10 new medications and takes it to the local chain pharmacy.  9 out of the 10 medications are covered but one of them needs a PAR.  The pharmacy is so busy and does not obtain the PAR for over a week.  The patient is not able to take the necessary medication they need, and experiences a medical event, resulting in a readmission.