Beth White: Leading with Collaboration
What keeps you in the industry?
Growing up, I loved spending time with my grandma and her friends. I treasured listening to their stories about their life experiences. Our elderly deserve the best possible care and quality of life, and I want to help provide that. Also, because I have a nursing background, I think I can improve lives of the nursing staff and make their days somewhat easier, more satisfying, and less challenging.
In your role, what do you think sets PharMerica apart?
There are two things that I think set PharMerica apart. First of all, it’s our Account Management team and the personalized service and attention they give our clients. Our customers know they can contact our team any time of day or night and get a response and a resolution to their issues or concerns.
Second is our reporting capabilities and supporting documentation. ViewMasteRx, which gives customers everything they need for their pharmacy information management in one convenient location, is top notch. I’ve worked at various clinical and senior care pharmacies, and there is no other software that compares to it.
When it comes to serving clients in your territory, how do you make sure the client gets what they need?
It’s a huge collaborative effort between our clinical and operational teams, and communication is key.
From daily emails to constant calls, we’re really relying on the expertise and knowledge of the consultant pharmacists whenever there’s a question, especially in this time of COVID and the vaccines.
We also have a close relationship with the pharmacy operations managers. I really look at our Account Managers as a liaison between the pharmacy and the facility. They are the customer-facing contacts. Clients are reaching out to them to troubleshoot and get answers. There’s always an open-door policy and operations is available to address any customer concern.
Finally, we work closely with the nurse consultants, especially when we’re onboarding a new customer. They help us on site to “go live.” It’s really a coordinated effort with multiple hands on deck to get our pharmacy services up and running.
Can you talk about the impact our clinical expertise has with clients?
There are so many mandates, especially with COVID and the survey changes and reporting requirements, so having our clinicians as a resource has been incredibly valuable for the accounts. But our clinical expertise goes beyond our consultant pharmacists and nurse consultants.
We also have many people on the Account Management team with clinical backgrounds as former directors of nursing. They pull on their experience and are significant resources when there are challenges internally and a client is looking for best practices and guidelines.
I like to say that my team isn’t just one rock star; I have a whole band. From people with clinical experience to those with financial or admissions expertise, everyone shares their knowledge, insights and best practices.
Our BAM – Best Account Management – team is in contact daily. They’re always sharing something they’ve learned from an account in terms of best practices or troubleshooting on an issue another member brings to the table. Whether related to COVID or behavioral health or anything in between, we work together for solutions, innovations, and quality customer service.
When it comes to innovation and best-in-class programs, what comes to mind?
First is our clinical team and the information, training and education they provide. Next is how easily accessible ViewMasteRx is and the abundance of information it offers – from transparent reporting to tracking a missing medication and much more. It’s all right there at our clients’ fingertips 24/7. Finally, our software support and expertise with eMAR integration is unparalleled. We have the knowledge and experience to help our clients by their side as they transition to a new platform.
How often does the account management team communicate with clients?
Our Account Management team, which covers skilled nursing facilities, assisted living communities and IDD group homes, has weekly contact or interaction with clients at a minimum. Now that we’re able to visit in person, they’re in the facilities at least monthly doing on-site prep and training. But they’re always available even when they’re not on-site. In fact, we have some clients who reach out to the Account Managers several times a day. It really depends on the client and their needs. We’re as responsive as they need us to be.
What is the one thing you want people to know about your teams?
I want them to know that my teams have heart. They genuinely care about the residents and the clients who care for those individuals. The Account Managers go above and beyond every day to make sure they’ve exhausted every option to resolve an issue or concern. COVID was a challenging time for everyone, and the Account Managers’ constant connection and outreach efforts to our partners were heartwarming and powerful. At one point, our team made a video for clients to let them know that they were thinking of them and would be back on site with them as soon as possible. They take how a facility is treated personally and believe they have the power to influence that. They go to all ends to meet customer needs, and I couldn’t be prouder of all of them.
How does PharMerica bring its local expertise to the heart of every community?
We do this by empowering our teams to act on behalf of each facility or community, and they can draw from our vast national resources to deliver what the client needs on a very personal and customized level. Being part of the local community and understanding what’s best for a client – which may be different than what’s right for another one even just around the corner – is what makes our approach unique in the industry and in the field of long-term care pharmacy.
Can you describe our customer service excellence?
PharMerica’s customer service excellence is driven by our Account Managers’ approach to their client relationships. They build partnerships on trust, and it’s trust we earn by meeting customer needs time and time again. They do that by being proactive when it comes to problem solving, responsive no matter when or where they need us and making it as easy as possible for them to do business with us at every level of their organization – from the administrator to the floor nurse.