Pharmacy Aligns With Hospitals to Reduce Readmissions

The effort doesn't stop there. Wright says when the patient is ready to be discharged, a Walgreens pharmacy staff member will make bedside deliveries of medications a patient will need to take home. After that, a clinician will follow up with regular phone calls to make sure the patient is taking medication properly, and see that an appointment has been made with their primary care physician.

"The goal of this is to be closer to the patient and be closer, as well, to the prescribers and… leverage those pharmacists to be more a part of the healthcare team and work more collaboratively and really even work with the system to help patients get, stay, and live well," says Wright.

There are about a dozen hospitals participating in the program now. The Walgreens wants to roll it out nationwide, and Wright says they're in the contract phase with "many" providers.

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System has been in partnership with Walgreens' WellTransitions program for over a year. Susan Gaillard, RN, a heart failure specialist for Sarasota Memorial says the program has had an "absolutely huge impact" at the hospital.