The health system has made it a priority to ensure patients have access to medications right after they leave the clinic. Becker’s spoke with Ryan Mezinger, RPh, senior vice president and chief pharmacy officer at MetroHealth, about the health system’s efforts on that front.
Bringing services to patients
One way MetroHealth is working to increase access to medication is by expanding its in-clinic pharmacies.
“One pharmacy chain completely left the market a few months ago and several individual pharmacies are closing soon,” Mr. Mezinger said. “We started with just four to five pharmacies, but now we have 12 patient-facing pharmacies and a centralized fulfillment center, with our latest pharmacy opening just last month.”
Embedding the pharmacies inside the clinics eliminates the extra step of patients having to go somewhere else for medication. “Why not have a pharmacy there for the patient right when they leave the clinic?” he said. “We’re making sure there’s access and affordability for that medication before leaving the clinic, and know patients are going to start treatment right when they leave.”
Expanding pickup and delivery options
MetroHealth also offers free home delivery options, though Mr. Mezinger said some patients have privacy concerns or others may lack a stable home address. To address these issues, he said MetroHealth is working to place pharmacies within communities where patients already receive care.
“Some people prefer picking up medication in person and others don’t have a secure place for deliveries,” Mr. Mezinger said. “By integrating pharmacies into our clinics, we make sure they have multiple options.”
MetroHealth is also considering pharmacy lockers to further expand access. The lockers would be placed in locations such as homeless shelters or other places where medication access is difficult.
Immunization offerings and prioritizing care
MetroHealth’s pharmacies also offer immunizations, medication therapy management and close coordination with healthcare providers. Mr. Mezinger shared that the health system offers 13 immunizations for patients either by appointment or walk-in.
“Instead of waiting three to four weeks to see a provider, patients can walk into a pharmacy today and get a vaccination,” he said. “That way, we ease the burden off of the clinic to hopefully spend more clinic time with patients.”
At the core of MetroHealth’s efforts to expand access in a pharmacy desert is a commitment to patients’ well-being.
“That’s the biggest goal of all my pharmacists is to know that no matter what we do, take care of the patient, and patients come first. If there’s something we have to change later, we will get it figured out,” he said. “We want the patient to feel safe, happy and have medication in hand when they leave the hospital and have that peace of mind knowing they can afford it.”
