Population health management is a key initiative for hospitals to improve care quality, lower costs and increase efficiencies to succeed in risk-based contracting, according to Mike Long, president of Pharmacy Healthcare Solutions at AmerisourceBergen.
"By enhancing existing infrastructure and combining core assets with emerging technologies, pharmacy can be uniquely positioned to contribute to a successful population health management strategy," he said.
Mr. Long shared the following tip with Becker's Hospital Review.
"For the health system pharmacy, it's best to think of population health management in a practical sense: managing the health of a population through effective medication management. Increasingly, hospital and health system pharmacies are implementing ambulatory and concierge programs — often referred to as 'meds-to-beds' — to lead interventions, mitigate adherence barriers and minimize readmissions. Pharmacy concierge medication offerings are making it more convenient for patients to obtain their medications with delivery direct to their bedside before hospital discharge. They also provide educational resources and regular follow-up to optimize adherence and mitigate care gaps.
"Hospitals and health systems have begun to strengthen their concierge and ambulatory services with predictive analytics and stratification technologies that facilitate end-to-end clinical integration. The application of predictive analytics technology to admission and discharge data allows pharmacies to better identify patients with the greatest impact potential. By analyzing data feeds from EHRs and discharge systems and then monitoring prescription activity, adherence patterns and compliance, the pharmacy can optimally deploy resources and focus education and engagement where they are most needed."
If you would like to share a tip, please email Mackenzie Bean and mbean@beckershealthcare.com.