This article is sponsored by Enclara Pharmacia. In this Voices interview, Hospice News sits down with Deanna Douglass, Enclara’s SVP of Business Development, to learn how hospice providers are navigating the new regulatory climate going into 2022 and beyond, staffing challenges in hospice and Enclara’s forthcoming E3 Pro application.
Hospice News: What career experiences do you draw from most in your role today?
Deanna Douglass: As a clinical pharmacist, I have had the opportunity to work in a variety of care settings, providing clinical services for hospices as well as retail, hospitals and long-term care. I have also served in a consultant role in which I actively participated in a specific hospice’s interdisciplinary team meetings and contributed directly to each patient’s care plan.
Working in the hospice-specific pharmacy benefits management space for almost 20 years, I’ve had the opportunity to follow the evolution of the hospice industry and the changes in the regulatory environment.
What is the greatest issue facing hospice leaders going into 2022?
Douglass: The number one issue that we hear universally, regardless of big or small, for-profit or not-for-profit, is staffing. There are many drivers behind this, but the challenge itself is universal for all hospices, at all levels of care. Part of what we do at Enclara Pharmacia is help hospices work more efficiently so they can make the most of the human resources they do have. We design our tools and services around the needs of hospice nurses, ultimately supporting greater job satisfaction.
As of September, participation in what’s known as the Medicare Advantage carve-in will double in 2022. What do hospice providers need to do to succeed in it?
Douglass: They need a plan. It sounds simplistic, but it is very true. They need a plan in terms of how they are going to participate with a Medicare Advantage plan, but also for how they will be accepted as a network provider. Having a way to set themselves up for success and show their value as a provider is key. This comes from driving strong outcomes that validate the quality of care they are providing to the patients enrolled in their specific hospice.
Hospice is delivered under a variety of business models, ranging from small nonprofit organizations and sole proprietors to large companies. How do these models co-exist moving forward?
Douglass: Everyone needs to focus on quality of care above all else. All of the groups are in this together as we move forward in the new regulatory environment. As soon as everyone acclimates and aligns their goals, we can co-exist by managing our patients and businesses well.
What are the biggest factors you think will impact changes next year, not only in hospice, but in home-based care?
Douglass: One of the biggest factors is the labor shortage. It is challenging for hospices to provide quality care when they do not have enough people to maintain and grow their census. I also believe technology will continue to play a big role next year. Mobile solutions are critical to providing hospice nurses with consistent access to systems for documentation and medication management wherever they are.
In the not-for-profit space, we’re seeing a lot of moves with consolidation and affiliations. This presents a challenge to smaller not-for-profits, which include small entities and offshoots of health systems that weren’t really looking to grow at scale. We’re seeing more cooperation in that area, with many organizations coming together under a single umbrella.
We’re conducting this interview just a few days ahead of Drug Takeback Day and we know leftover medications are a particular challenge in hospice. How can families best navigate medication destruction and leftover medication after their loved one passes away?
Douglass: Offering medication disposal is a necessary part of any hospice program. Each hospice is required to have a disposal and destruction plan that they can put in place at discharge visits. Enclara is currently working on a partnership that will help clients further simplify the documentation around disposal or destruction of medications.
Most importantly, we want to educate families about medication disposal and encourage them to give up the medications at that patient’s discharge.
Enclara is preparing to launch a new version of its E3 patients and medication management platform. How will the new version of this platform benefit hospices and hospice nurses?
Douglass: The new version of Enclara’s medication and patient management platform will be called E3 Pro and will launch in early 2022. It will benefit hospices in a variety of ways, whether they are using Enclara’s mail order program or relying on local pharmacies.
We’ve worked to develop a more intuitive user experience where nurses can see everything they need to know at a glance. They get a custom dashboard that provides better access and visibility to the status of existing orders, including items where they need to take action. Our development team did a lot of listening before they started the design process, and nurse feedback has been incorporated at every step in the process.
Entering this year, no one knew what to expect in the hospice industry. What has been the biggest surprise, and what impact do you think that surprise will have on the industry in 2022?
Douglass: It has been such an unpredictable crazy year, but I believe the staffing shortage has been most surprising. In 2022, hospices will be very focused on how to engage and employ new staff as well as retain existing staff through all levels of patient care. We’re supporting those efforts in a variety of ways, including E3 Pro’s much shorter learning curve and our new At Your Pace Learning Center, which provides a more robust platform for our educational materials.
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Enclara offers the most comprehensive service and technology solutions in hospice, with pharmacy solutions and interoperability support that improve operational efficiency. To learn more, visit enclarapharmacia.com.
The Voices Series is a sponsored content program featuring leading executives discussing trends, topics and more shaping their industry in a question-and-answer format. For more information on Voices, please contact [email protected].