Meds-to-Beds is a new concierge bedside service offered at Ben Taub and LBJ hospitals where pharmacists deliver discharge no-cost prescriptions to patients prior to their leaving the hospital. Patients can also opt for home medication delivery through the program. The goal of Meds-to-Beds is to reduce the number of preventable readmissions because patients did not fill their prescriptions because of a lack of transportation or money.
In its first year, the program reduced hospital readmissions among patients enrolled in the program by 15%. More patients have received and are taking their medications as prescribed, leading to better health outcomes as well. The pharmacy team continues to focus on prioritizing patient education and convenience when caring for our community.
Home Medication Delivery allows patients to receive their medicines at home. The program was implemented in 2018 and saw rapid uptick in its usage during COVID-19. During COVID, the program expanded medication distribution for at-risk patients from a 30-day on-site pick-up to a 90-day mail delivery. Providing 90-day prescriptions frees patients from needing to secure transportation and allows them to manage their chronic medical conditions. Your donation can provide refrigeration for temperature-sensitive mail order prescriptions sent to patients with chronic diabetes.
Our clinical pharmacy specialists have increased proactive patient medication management and now work with nearly 4,000 patients with diabetes every month. With a majority of patients seen via telehealth, it is difficult to monitor glucose and blood pressure readings. Accurate readings are crucial to provide high-quality care for vulnerable populations. Harris Health’s goal is to provide continuous glucose monitors and blood pressure cuffs for patients who don’t have resources. This allows medical staff to virtually track glycemic and blood pressure levels to improve the care provided and prevent further complications caused by disease.
Harris Health's new Pharmacy Technician Certificate Program ensures cultural competency and workforce development in an area that is currently experiencing a shortage of professional workers. Pharmacy technicians are essential to the pharmacy team and this program gives students the opportunity to learn from highly trained educators and work alongside experienced pharmacy techs to develop their skills in real healthcare settings.
While all of these initiatives improve health outcomes for our patients at no cost to them, they carry significant cost for Harris Health. To help offset the cost, we encourage you to support our pharmacy programs today.
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Pharmacy initiatives carry a significant cost for Harris Health. To offset the cost, we encourage you to support the the initiatives today.
