Most pharmacists agree that some form of medication synchronization is a necessity to stay competitive as a pharmacy these days. But med sync can do far more to improve patient care than just improving medication adherence. As it turns out, two of the initiatives designed to boost patient care in pharmacies can actually give each other a boost as well.
How Med Sync Can Open the Door for Pharmacy Care Plans
In a previous article on care planning, we defined a care plan as “a plan developed by a healthcare professional that lays out a strategy for achieving a patient goal.” The goal itself could be any number of things, and it can be determined by you, your patient, or their physician. One of a care plan’s many perks is that it makes communication and coordination between all the members of the patient’s healthcare team much easier.
The Community Pharmacy Foundation’s website for the Pharmacist eCare Plan Initiative lays it out using apples and oranges. Here’s their take on the value of the pharmacist care plan:
Apples and oranges. We use the phrase to differentiate types of fruit. Some people prefer bananas and others prefer oranges. Similarly, different types of care team members, having different roles, in different settings of care, have different preferences and needs of how and where they enter data. An NDC Code may look different, be put in a different place, and entered in a different way in different systems, looking like a banana in one system and an orange in another. But if everyone agrees to communicate in apples, we can speak in a common, interoperable manner. That’s good for healthcare providers and patients alike.
So how can med sync go hand in hand with a pharmacist care plan?
Med Sync Frees Up Additional Time for Patient Care
One benefit of med sync is that it can free up a considerable amount of time for pharmacists. Adding med sync to your pharmacy operations adds predictability. This predictability gives you more control over your daily schedule. The more regular patients you have on med sync, the more power you have over how many hours a day you spend filling prescriptions. And more time for patient care means more time to dedicate to building and reviewing care plans.
Guaranteed, Predictable Face-to-Face Time Helps Keep Care Plans Current
With med sync, patients come to the pharmacy on a predetermined date to pick up their medications for the month. This gives you the perfect opportunity to review and, if necessary, adjust their care plan while they’re with you at the counter. The predictability of med sync helps you better prepare for your patients’ visits.
Med Sync & Pharmacist eCare Plans Share a Common Goal
According to the Community Pharmacy Foundation, the goal of the Pharmacist eCare Plan Initiative (and of care plans in general) is to improve and optimize medication use. Pharmacists often implement med sync programs for a similar purpose: To improve medication adherence. Care plans are often put into place to make sure that a patient is getting the most out of their treatment, including their medication. Med sync aims to help patients stay adherent to their treatment plan.
When it comes to med sync and care planning, they truly go hand in hand. Med sync helps patients stay adherent to their care plan. On the flip side, med sync gives pharmacists more time to build care plans and review them with their patients. While either one on their own can be a boon to both pharmacists and their patients, the combination of the two simply cannot be beat.
