This article is sponsored by Enclara Pharmacia. In this Voices interview, Hospice News sits down with Patrick Leary, VP, Client Services, Enclara Pharmacia, to learn about the top factors that impact the nurse experience in hospice care. From medication management to new technology adoption, he discusses some of the key trends for providers to watch in today’s hospice environment and explains how Enclara can help providers navigate them.
Hospice News: Since our last conversation in mid-2021, what challenges have you encountered amidst the changes that have taken place?
Patrick Leary: In 2021, the pandemic was still very much impacting our operations and those of our clients. Hospices were facing difficulties in referrals and patient enrollment. Then, as referrals rebounded, staff shortages restricted hospice capacity in some cases. The latter challenge really brought attention to a key component of our value proposition: Enclara plays a pivotal role in enhancing the operational efficiency of hospices and in delivering a nurse experience that supports stronger recruitment and retention. Medication management is a large part of the day-to-day work for hospice nurses, so their interactions with Enclara contribute significantly to their overall job satisfaction.
What factors do you think matter most to that nurse experience?
Delivering an optimal nurse experience starts with patient care. It is critical for nurses to have the support and knowledge they need to feel confident in the care they provide. For Enclara, a big part of that is ensuring timely access to clinically appropriate medications while streamlining the operational tasks associated with medication management. We always say, “you deliver the care, we make it easier.”
In what ways can Enclara make it easier for nurses to manage patient medications?
Technology plays a major role, specifically electronic medical record interoperability and our own E3 Pro™ medication management platform. We consulted hospice nurses at every stage of the development of E3 Pro, and we continue to solicit their feedback to prioritize new features. With E3 Pro, they can easily route dispense requests to Enclara mail order or local pharmacies.
One recently added E3 Pro feature they really appreciate is the app’s alert function when various actions are needed. For example, they get a reminder when a patient is due for refills, or when a request requires authorization. That offers additional assurance that patients will always have the medications they need.
We incorporate a variety of feedback channels to help us continually improve the nurse experience at every level. The introduction of our Connected Care Community last year established a platform for nurses to share insights related to our products, educational resources and tools. During a recent session, nurses helped pinpoint opportunities for electronic health records (EHR) workflow enhancement, which not only enabled us to refine things internally, but also engage with multiple EHR vendors regarding potential updates that could further benefit our mutual clients. We have also incorporated feedback tools within our E3 Pro platform, empowering nurses to share their experiences and suggest ideas for new features.
What role does your account management team play in all this?
Enclara’s vision of account management extends beyond the traditional role, positioning us as strategic partners dedicated to the overall success of hospice organizations. Our primary focus is helping clients get the most out of their relationship with Enclara when it comes to factors like workflow efficiency, staff training, and managing ancillary and medication costs. We view ourselves as advocates, not just resolving immediate issues, but also amplifying the voice of our hospice partners throughout the organization. This collaborative approach ensures that our partnership supports both smooth daily operations and the long-term goals of hospice leadership.
Can you describe some of the feedback you are sharing with your organization?
Given the inflation we’ve experienced in recent years, hospice leaders are obviously concerned about costs. Clinicians are dealing with fewer options in the local pharmacy market as retail chains pull back on hours and locations and long-term care pharmacies consolidate. Those are both areas we help solve for with our mail order dispensing option.
Our wholly owned national fulfillment centers offer next-day shipping anywhere in the continental United States, including areas that are underserved in terms of pharmacies. Several of our hospice partners that were previously 100 percent local pharmacy have begun using our mail order program to support timely, reliable medication access for patients. Utilizing mail order services may also generate some reductions in ancillary expenses associated with fulfillment and delivery.
What is Enclara working on now to address some of these pressing issues?
Enclara is continuously refining our digital tools to remain at the forefront of technological advancement. Over the last year, we released multiple features and enhancements to the E3 Pro platform to optimize the nurse medication management experience such as refill reminders, pending prescription notifications, better support for electronic prescribing and local pharmacy search. We are also continuously enhancing system interoperability and recently completed our second bidirectional medication interface with an electronic health records vendor. This innovation allows medication orders from our call center, E3 Pro, and even local scripts to automatically populate the patient record.
We are also looking at where predictive analytics can help us better align prescribing with patient needs and likely disease progression. It is important that we not only deliver the most powerful digital tools, but also the implementation, training and ongoing service that enables users to take full advantage of the capabilities we provide.
Finish this sentence. In the hospice industry, 2024 will be the year of…”
… a return to growth across the industry but with strong headwinds for many organizations.
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
As the nation’s leading pharmacy services provider and PBM for the hospice and palliative care community, Enclara ensures timely and reliable medication access in any care setting through a comprehensive network of retail and institutional pharmacies, a national patient-direct dispensing program and dedicated inpatient services. To learn more, visit www.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].
