Joseph Solien, PharmD, BCPP, BCGP, Vice President of Clinical Services at OnePoint Patient Care, has been named a 2024 Frontline Honors honoree by Hospice News.
To become a Frontline honoree, an individual is nominated by their peers. The candidate must be:
- A dedicated, high-performing frontline worker who delivers exceptional experiences and outcomes
- A passionate worker who knows how to put their vision into for the good of their respective industry, the patients and residents they serve, and their families
- An advocate for their industry and their fellow colleagues
Hospice News recently caught up with Solien to discuss their time in the hospice industry.
HSPN: What drew you to this industry?
Solien: Honestly, it was just a fortunate coincidence. I started working in hospice pharmacy in 2004 as a pharmacy student intern. I quickly realized how much I loved the work and developed a sincere passion for helping patients at the end of life.
HSPN: What’s your biggest lesson learned since starting to work in the industry?
Solien: I’ve learned many things, but here are two examples.
One is that small things can make a big difference. Years back, I was able to interview a younger patient with ALS. I went into the interview thinking of all the complexities of the patient’s drug regimen, wondering which drugs had had the most profound impact on quality of life. I learned that it wasn’t the ALS, psychiatric, or analgesic drugs, but instead the patient’s bowel care regimen. Before it was really dialed in, going to the bathroom was a 4-hour ordeal for the patient and his mother, who was the primary caregiver.
Two is the importance of being curious and to keep learning. We had a patient who developed profound bradycardia following methadone initiation. When asked by the physician if methadone could cause this, my first thought was probably not, but I don’t respond until I’ve had a chance to research. In reviewing the literature, I found some fascinating case reports where methadone did, indeed, cause bradycardia. We even wrote up this case as a poster presentation for a national conference.
HSPN: What’s your favorite part about your job?
Solien: I love learning new information and building solutions that put actionable clinical information in front of hospice nurses and physicians to assist them with clinical decision support and patient care. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention the outstanding people I work with at OnePoint Patient Care.
HSPN: What do you want the general public to better understand about your job and the industry you serve?
Solien: I’d like to make sure everyone knows about the benefits of hospice care! Even with increasing utilization year over year, many die without taking advantage of all the wonderful support hospice provides.
HSPN: What’s something that you wish other people in your organization — particularly leaders who don’t work on the front lines — understood better about your job?
Solien: We actually make a pretty concerted effort to ensure collaboration between frontline staff, back office staff, and executives – it’s one of the things I love about working at OnePoint Patient Care.
To view the entire Frontline Honors Class of 2024, visit https://frontlinehonors.com/.
