On May 24th, Hillary will serve on the panel “Key Thoughts on Controlling Pharmacy Spend and Extra Costs” at Becker’s Hospital Review 11th Annual Meeting. As part of an ongoing series, Becker’s is talking to healthcare leaders who plan to speak at the conference, which will take place on May 24-26, 2021 in Chicago.
To learn more about the conference and Hillary’s session, click here.
Question: What initiative are you most excited about today at your healthcare organization? How will it affect the future of healthcare delivery?
Hillary Blackburn: I am most excited about our growth as every year we add more pharmaceutical manufacturer donors and pharmacy and clinic dispensing sites. Every new medication donor and every new dispensing site that joins us results in more saved lives and more hope for those who had none. I’ve read several stories about people that did not survive because they could not afford medicine. When I see new pharmaceutical donors visiting us and committing to donate medications, I get excited knowing that we get to tell a different story… a story of hope.
In the last year, we’ve added three new pharmaceutical donors and dozens of new dispensing sites across the nation. The growth at Dispensary of Hope means that we let healthcare organizations get back to doing what they want to do – providing care and hope for people in need. The healthcare organizations that have joined us share the success stories of increased medication adherence and improved access to medication for those at high risk – the uninsured, resulting in reduced cost of care and improved patient outcomes. The Advisory Board Company published evidence of these cost-of-care improvements – significantly reduced ED visits, admissions, and lengths of stay (which can be downloaded from our website)
Q: What is the most important lesson you’ve learned about delivering excellent patient experience?
HB: Human dignity is so important. Because our focus is on helping patients that are uninsured and low-income, it is vital that we work with our healthcare partners to ensure that patients have the same experience regardless of their income or insurance status. Without human dignity, we create a disparity in care and patient outcomes. The work of healthcare is to improve the health of those in our communities. We simply cannot do that without human dignity.
Q: What do you see as the most dangerous trend in healthcare right now?
HB: Healthcare has taken center stage as a topic of political debate, and political polarization usually forces people to choose a side. Our work is to identify common ground with seemingly polarized segments of the healthcare industry and deliver a solution that serves those who need it most. We’ve found that pharmaceutical manufacturers and health systems agree to provide care and medicine for the poor. At Dispensary of Hope, we’ve found that we can serve a noble mission and simultaneously deliver financially sustainable and responsible solutions.
Q: What future health IT capability will have the most significant impact on clinical workflows or patient outcomes?
AA: Expansion of telehealth. Many Americans in rural America lack access to broadband. Expanding and improving internet connectivity is needed to support access in rural America. Bipartisan legislation is being developed to do that. As rural health hospitals continue to close, telehealth services will help patients still receive healthcare close to home. Also, as care shifts to home delivery, utilization of telehealth services will be needed. Remote monitoring of patient outcomes that can be relayed back to providers will become more widespread and improve patient outcomes since they won’t have to wait ‘til their doctor’s appointment to get real time updates on their health.
Aney Abraham, Associate Vice President of Medical, Oncology & Cardiology Nursing for Rush University Medical Center and Faculty Assistant Professor for Rush University College of Nursing
At Becker's 4th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable, taking place November 2–5 in Chicago, more than 1,500 hospital and health system executives tackle decisions that determine whether organizations thrive or merely survive: protecting margins under cost pressure, choosing where to grow, renegotiating payer relationships, stabilizing the workforce and proving real ROI on technology. This is where leaders work through them together, face-to-face. Apply for complimentary registration now.
