The nation’s largest drugstore chain and a national Catholic health system recently joined forces to create better access to medication for patients after they are discharged from the hospital.
Walgreens and Lourdes Health System, owned by CHE Trinity Health, say a new partnership will offer bedside mediation delivery, the Walgreens Transitions Program (WTP) and an onsite retail pharmacy on the first floor lobby at New Jersey’s Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center. The pharmacy is slated to open fall 2014.
“Medication non-compliance is a major reason for readmission to the hospital, especially for patients with chronic conditions such as heart failure and diabetes,” says Lourdes Health System President and CEO Alexander J. Hatala in a news release. “Working with patients before they leave the hospital and after they are discharged will help ensure patients obtain, understand and take the medicines that are an important part of their health.”
Bedside medication delivery is already implemented at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center and Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County, N.J. As part of the program, a Walgreens pharmacy technician visits patients to see if they want their discharge medications from Walgreens on their day of discharge from the hospital. The medicines are delivered from a nearby Walgreens pharmacy within one or two hours of discharge.
“For some patients, there is no pharmacy near their home,” Hatala says. “This program helps us to transition patients home with the medications they need from day one.”
WTP connects patients with a Walgreens’ pharmacist, who follows up with that patient after discharge. Patients can opt to sign up while in the hospital.
“Coordinated care programs are vitally important to help ensure patients have access to the quality, convenient, affordable care they need before, during and after a hospital admission,” says Alan E. London, Walgreens vice president of strategic clinical partners, in the same release.
Additional components of the partnership are in the planning stages.
Written by Cassandra Dowell
Companies featured in this article:
