Improving prescription capture rates through a standardized meds to beds program at Parkview Heart Institute

<h2>Abstract</h2><h3>Background</h3> Medication adherence is critical for patients with cardiac conditions discharged with new prescriptions. Barriers such as high costs, insurance challenges, and lack of transportation often prevent patients from accessing prescribed therapies, leading to readmissions, increased healthcare costs, and worse outcomes. Meds to beds programs offer patients a convenient, patient-centered solution by delivering discharge prescriptions directly to patients' rooms, reducing readmission rates, and enhancing adherence. Despite success in other departments at Parkview Health, utilization of the program in the Parkview Heart Institute (PHI) remains limited. <h3>Objectives</h3> To implement and evaluate a standardized Meds to Beds (M2B) workflow aimed at improving prescription capture rates at Parkview Heart Institute. Secondary endpoints include margin, turnaround time, and readmission rates. This is a process improvement initiative conducted within a large health system, Parkview Health, at its Parkview Regional Medical Center campus. This project focused on the Parkview Heart Institute. Prior to the study, there was no formal workflow in place for M2B in PHI. Within this study, a formal workflow and process were created to help aid technicians, nurses, and pharmacists with a standardized process. <h3>Methods</h3> A retrospective analysis compared prescription capture rates, readmission rates, margin, and turnaround time before and after workflow implementation. Statistical analyses included two-tailed t-tests and chi-squared tests. <h3>Results</h3> Following implementation, PHI prescription capture rates significantly improved (<i>p</i> = 0.0023), with most of the success coming from floor 3 of PHI (<i>P</i> = 0.0002). Margins improved, though not reaching statistical significance (projected $196,990 over 12 months, <i>P</i> = 0.078). Readmission rates for M2B patients were shown to be decreased compared to non-M2B patients (15.0% vs. 21.5%, <i>P</i> = 0.009). <h3>Conclusion</h3> The implementation of a standardized M2B process at PHI successfully enhanced prescription capture and provides a framework for expansion to additional service areas.