Page 4 - 2017 Nursing Annual Report | Summa Health

Transformational
Leadership
Bringing the pharmacy
to the patients
While numerous studies demonstrate that patients
who take their medications as prescribed have better
outcomes, research also shows that more than 28 percent
of discharge prescriptions are going unfilled.
Why aren’t patients going to the pharmacy? According
to Summa Health System Director, Pharmacy Services,
John Feucht II, MBA, RPh, the answer became apparent
through the Summa Transition Excellence Program
(STEP) in 2016. “We learned through STEP that there are
a lot of underlying reasons, such as transportation and
socioeconomic issues, why people aren’t filling their
prescriptions,” explains Feucht. “It only made sense that, if staff hires to policy creation.”
Summa could provide patients with meds before leaving
the hospital, we would increase patient satisfaction scores
and decrease readmission rates.”
After months of planning, Summa Health launched the
Meds to Beds program in February 2017 at our Akron and
Barberton Campuses. Through this bedside medication
delivery service, Summa patients receive their home-
going prescription medications prior to discharge. In
addition to added patient convenience, the program gives
Summa providers the opportunity to teach patients how
and when to take their medications, as well as address
any medication-related questions, while the patient is still
within our care.
A patient is offered the opportunity to use this delivery
service upon admission to the hospital. While performing
the initial assessment, the nurse asks if the patient would
like bedside medication delivery. If the patient accepts,
functionality built within Epic CarePATH automatically
notifies the Pharmacy, and a pharmacy assistant is
dispatched to talk further with that patient. Building the
program option right into the system has removed barriers
and made it very easy for our nurses to introduce the
program to patients. “The care team (RN, TCC, SW and
physicians) are vested in the Meds to Beds program.
4 Summa Health
They recognized right away that it was a great tool –
not just for patient satisfaction, but for compliance and
convenience,” says Elizabeth MaDan, MSN, RN Unit
Director. “Access to medications for all patients is our
goal, and through this program, we have been able to
connect patients with numerous resources that often
result in more affordable medications for the patients that
we serve.“
Feucht agrees. “Some of the greatest value of the process
has been that it’s been multidisciplinary from day one.
Nursing has been involved in all the decisions, from initial
The Summa Meds to Beds program, in fact, has been
a collaborative effort among numerous departments
including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, social work and
care management, finance, technology, quality, marketing
and administration/management – all of whom need
to be familiar with the program and how to access it. To
accomplish this educational goal, Summa Meds to Beds
pharmacists have conducted numerous educational
sessions at departmental meetings and individual nursing
units. Healthstream assignments have been developed for
physicians and nursing staff as well.
The Summa Meds to Beds program continues to grow in
volume every month. “We’re experiencing a 69 percent
acceptance rate, meaning that 69 percent of all the
patients offered the program are enrolling in it. The
national average is around 35 percent,” reports Feucht.
What’s more, the Akron Campus Meds to Beds program
has the highest acceptance rate of all Summa facilities
and 23 Mercy Health hospitals. Barberton Campus ranks
second.
“Meds to Beds is one more option we offer our patients
in an effort to complete the discharge package,” adds
MaDan. “It’s like tying the bow on a present.”