PharMerica Launches Continue Care Transitional Care Management Program
May 2, 2022Continue Care – A Unique Transitional Care Management Program, Combines Pharmacy and Home-Based Primary Care Services for Residents Returning Home from Skilled Nursing Facilities
Today, PharMerica launched its Continue Care program to address gaps in care during residents’ transitions from skilled nursing facilities to home. These can be challenging times for residents due to trouble understanding discharge instructions and medication regimens, inadequate follow up and referrals in the community and at home, and lack of attention to social needs, resulting in one in five of people discharged from an acute care setting to be readmitted to a hospital within 30 days.
Continue Care combines PharMerica’s leading pharmacy services with home-based primary care and nurse hub outreach services – offered through BrightSpring Health Services’ family of providers – to provide a safer transition home for medically complex residents, specifically those taking 8 to 12 medications or those with multiple chronic conditions or comorbidities. As these residents prepare for discharge to home, this transitional care management program integrates seamlessly into a facility’s discharge planning process and extends care coordination and management into the home by offering:
- A 14-day supply of medications for residents to take with them when they leave, plus up to an additional 30-day supply reviewed and reconciled by a pharmacist and delivered to their home, in easy-to-use packaging to improve access and adherence
- Weekly phone calls from a nurse starting within 48 hours of the resident’s return home to check on medication issues or health changes
- An in-home transitional care visit within days from one of our company’s nurse practitioners, where available, to conduct a physical assessment and evaluate needs for skilled and unskilled care (with in-home primary care continuing thereafter on a patient-by-patient basis)
- 24/7 nurse and pharmacist support for residents and their families
“Patients being discharged from nursing facilities typically face a challenging time that is particularly high-risk. They often have little support, with nursing facilities lacking the ability to affect care after they leave,” said Jeremy Colvin, PharMerica’s Senior Vice President, Market Development. “Yet, facilities are responsible for the outcomes of these residents for 30 days post-discharge, and facilities risk financial impact if prior residents return to a hospital. In 2019, the last year for which data is available, 73% of skilled nursing facilities received a penalty for their readmission rates.”
Home-based primary care is associated with a 50% reduction in hospital readmissions and a 20% reduction in emergency room visits, with our home-based primary care driving rehospitalization results at one third the industry average. Additionally, medication non-adherence is the top risk factor for preventable hospital readmissions, leading to $500 billion in avoidable medical spending annually and 125,000 deaths per year and 40% chronic disease treatment failure.1,2,3 By combining home-based primary care and nurse hub outreach services with pharmacy services that reduce post-discharge complications arising from medications, the Continue Care Program:
- Improves clinical and quality outcomes
- Reduces rehospitalization rates
- Optimizes reimbursement
- Enhances reputation and referrals
- Lowers costs
“Improved health outcomes and reduced hospitalizations depend on three things – non-clinical support services to address activities of daily living, daily medication optimization, and clinical monitoring and interventions when required, which is what we provide as a combined company through Continue Care,” added Colvin. “This program featuring medication therapy management and in-the-home primary care is the first of its kind to take transitional care management to the next level and help ensure that residents returning home from a skilled nursing facility have the full spectrum of person-centered, hands-on interventions they need to live healthier at home.”
All Continue Care services are provided at no cost to facilities or residents; residents are responsible for their regular copayment based on their pharmacy coverage.
This is the second launch of PharMerica’s Continue Care program, now offered in combination with Primary Care for a unique transitional care management program to skilled nursing facilities, after being first released last year to serve the medication needs of home health patients with the program’s novel medication therapy management approach tailored to people with polypharmacy needs in their homes.
For more information, visit PharMerica.com/ContinueCare.
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Osterberg L, Blaschke T. Adherence to medication. N Engl J Med. 2005 Aug 4;353(5):487–97. doi: 10.1056/nejmra050100.
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Kleinsinger F. The Unmet Challenge of Medication Nonadherence. Perm J. 2018;22:18-033. doi:10.7812/TPP/18-033
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Watanabe JH, McInnis T, Hirsch JD. Cost of Prescription Drug-Related Morbidity and Mortality. Ann Pharmacother. 2018 Sep;52(9):829-837. doi: 10.1177/1060028018765159. Epub 2018 Mar 26. PMID: 29577766.
About PharMerica
PharMerica is a leading provider of institutional, community- and home-based pharmacy services. The company serves the long-term care, senior living, hospital, home infusion, hospice, behavioral, specialty and oncology pharmacy markets. PharMerica operates over 180 long-term care, home infusion, and specialty pharmacies serving all 50 states. PharMerica is a customer- and patient-focused organization serving health care providers, such as skilled nursing facilities, senior living communities, and hospitals, as well as individuals with behavioral needs, individuals with infusion therapy needs, seniors receiving in-home care, and patients with cancer. The company provides highly reliable, accurate medication delivery and support services to approximately 350,000 individuals a day with unmatched service reliability, cost containment solutions, and clinical, regulatory, and educational support for its clients and their residents and patients For more information, visit PharMerica.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
About BrightSpring Health Services
BrightSpring Health Services is a leading provider of complementary home- and community-based pharmacy and health services for complex populations in need of specialized and/or chronic care. Through the company’s pharmacy and provider services to seniors and specialty (including behavioral) populations, we provide comprehensive care and clinical services in 50 states to over 360,000 customers, clients and patients daily. The company’s services foster greater patient and family satisfaction, improve outcomes, and reduce health care system costs, and are supported by industry-leading quality outcomes For more information, visit BrightSpringHealth.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.