Over 800 hospices partner with HP in the United States, including Alaska and Guam. Hospice Pharmacia services hospices of any size, including both start-up hospice programs that have not yet enrolled their first patient and national multi-site hospice programs. All partners benefit from HP’s clinical and economic standardization, accessible on-line systems, and comparative reporting.

Quality

HP’s competency in providing Prospective Medication Therapy Management, assures that patients are on the appropriate medication based on their medical and medication history. HP’s unique system for medication dispensing using automation provides accurate dispensing in a timely manner for patients. HP is the only JCAHO-accredited national hospice pharmacy.


Access

Depending on the location of the patient, HP provides access to medications using the most efficient method.


Cost

The Per Diem Model
Typically, pharmacies are paid by hospices on a ‘fee-for-service’ basis. This reimbursement is usually based on the Average Wholesale Price of medications, less a discount, plus a dispensing fee. In this fee-for-service model, pharmacists are not part of the hospice care team—they share no responsibilities for outcomes, and suffer no consequences when costs of care are outrageous.

HP created its system of Prospective Medication Therapy Management, where the nurse collaborates with HP prior to the dispensing of a prescription, to assure the appropriate selection of medications. As a result, HP is able to share risk with hospices for the medication portion of the care plan.

Using its knowledge of over 10 years using the per diem model, HP has created a predictive model of per diem setting based on the cancer rates of patients as well as considering length-of-stay. As the direct and indirect costs of care differ greatly between patients with cancer and patients with non-cancer diagnoses, HP offers a ‘bi-modal’ per diem.

Performance Incentives
HP offers various incentives to its partnering hospices to help create mutual efficiencies. From the use of technology, to the courier delivery system, HP partners have benefited from millions of dollars in savings since inception.

Client Development Team
HP’s regionally based team of PharmDs provides routine contact and communication to HP’s partnering hospices. A Regional Director of Client Development is assigned to each partnering hospice, who assesses need, and partners with them to deliver on those needs on mutually agreeable timelines.

After each meeting, a satisfaction survey is sent to the hospice meeting attendees, to help HP understand if the client’s needs were met, and if the goals of delighting each partnering hospice.

Outsourcing In-House Pharmacies
HP partners with many hospices that made the decision to outsource their in-house pharmacy and either minimizing on-site operations or closing the pharmacy. The economic and clinical benefits are vast.