Bill Deane: Leading with Integrity
What is your history in the long-term care industry and your role in PharMerica?
I have been in the long-term care industry for 30 years in a variety of roles, including as a pharmacy owner.
I’ve been with PharMerica since 2019, when I was brought in to build our senior living platform. I created an operations model that would be able to scale nationally very quickly while maintaining the quality of our skilled nursing segment and supporting it with a sales and account management team. I now also run our Pharmacy Alternatives pharmacy, which services behavioral health, and I’m leading the launch of Continue Care.
Tell us about Continue Care.
This innovative new program combines BrightSpring’s home health services with PharMerica’s pharmacy services. The program’s overall goal is to integrate medication management for the at-risk home health population to make patients’ lives easier and better. Additionally, it promotes medication adherence and drives better outcomes for these medically complex patients, helping them stay healthy at home.
These efforts take quality care to a new level. Unlike a traditional mail order pharmacy, Continue Care offers patient-centered, hands-on interventions such as medication regimen reviews and nurse follow up. It’s very person-centered.
Describe the LTC experience of the local clinical teams.
I can honestly say that our clinical teams are the best in the industry. They’re focused on programs that address some of the most serious issues seniors face — such as polypharmacy, psychotropic utilization and falls. They develop and execute these programs using their considerable skills and experience specific to this care setting and its patients. As a result, they help facilities improve outcomes, maintain regulatory compliance and provide the quality of care that attracts residents and care partners alike.
How does your passion drive you in your role?
I am extremely passionate about customer service, patient care, and providing the best and most comprehensive pharmacy services. Those things are always top of my mind and at the forefront of every decision we make. I’m very committed to taking care of our customers and their patients, and that passion is what drives me every day. I am fortunate to work for a company where we all share this dedication, and it enables us to provide pharmacy services that we can be proud of.
How do you inspire your workforce to live PharMerica’s mission and values to benefit your clients?
Everyday my teams see that I’m an eternal optimist. I try to always do the right thing. I see problems as opportunities. And I’m honest and transparent. I try to lead by example with my attitude, character and behavior. I am fortunate to have great teams who share my enthusiasm and desire to serve our customers.
How does PharMerica’s customer-focused approach make us a trusted partner?
Keeping our customers’ needs at the forefront makes all the difference. Our clients know we have their best interests at heart and that it drives everything we do. We don’t just talk the talk; we also walk the walk. We tailor our services to meet their needs for greater efficiencies and cost savings. And because of our industry-leading metrics for on-time medication delivery and accuracy, we can avoid the challenges – such as medication availability issues – that may plague other large pharmacy services companies. Instead, we can hone in on the things that have the greatest and most positive impact on our clients.
When our customers face challenges, we are right there with them working on solutions. For instance, right now they’re suffering from staffing shortages so we are focused on how we can help promote cycle medications to reduce the time staff has to spend on pharmacy-related tasks. We’ve also built a fall risk calculator for our senior living communities. This looks at a patient’s medication regimen and diagnosis to identify their risk of falling, so a community can promptly put processes in place to protect them.
For skilled nursing facilities, we have multi-dose packaging that organizes medications by administration time to make med pass easier and faster so staff can focus more on patient care. On the behavioral health side, we use calendar cycle fills that streamline the amount of time needed to audit and document that individuals are receiving their medications consistently, appropriately, and on time.
How does PharMerica deliver on its promises?
Our commitments are always in line with our capabilities. We don’t make promises we can’t keep, but we always strive to go above and beyond what is expected. If we talk about a future value add or service, we’re very transparent about the timeline and what needs to happen for us to deliver it effectively. Ultimately, we aim to take comprehensive pharmacy services to the highest possible level.
How does PharMerica bring its local expertise to the heart of every community?
With our local pharmacy directors and in-market account managers, clients have local resources they can depend on. However, the key in the local markets are the pharmacy directors. They are the lynchpin, and they make sure every release is complete and on time. The account managers also are essential for excellent customer service. Between the two positions, customers always have someone to call and can get prompt, personalized, and knowledgeable attention.
What is the one thing you want people to know about your teams?
They’re compassionate, empathetic, available 24/7 and passionate about caring for the people in the healthcare segments we serve. Each team member was carefully selected based on their industry experience and knowledge. They are the best there is and work tirelessly for the customers and the company.
What do you want clients to say about PharMerica?
I want them to say that we’re a quality pharmacy services partner that has their best interest in mind at all times. I emphasize ‘partner,’ because that is truly what we are. They can get medications from a variety of vendors, but we are so much more. We are with our customers on a regular basis, we know their people and their needs and we understand their challenges and their goals. We define our successes by their successes.
We want our clients to take pride in the care they provide, avoid problems and challenges, and sleep better at night knowing that we’re there for them 24/7.