Checking refill status, answering questions, placing follow-up calls… and then, what begins as a routine moment in pharmacy, can quickly turn into an extraordinary chance to make a real difference in a patient’s life. This is one story of whole-person health and connected pharmacy care, as provided by compassionate pharmacists like Tia Francis, Pharm.D. at the CarelonRx Clinical Pharmacy Care Center (CPCC).
Asking questions and taking action
At the CPCC, more than 400 pharmacists and technicians are working to answer questions from our members in real time, provide education on medications and more. Each day, Tia calls up to 80 Medicare members, hoping they will pick up the phone so she can perform a medication review and make sure members are adhering to their treatments.
“I work to treat every member like they are a family member,” Tia said, as she focuses on taking her time to listen to a member’s worries and patiently answer any medication questions.
Recently, she spoke to a member who hadn’t filled their seven medications. Tia started her call just as she does each time, by asking if she could walk through their medications and talk through any challenges she may be able to help with.
The member said, “yes, absolutely.” As Tia asked the member to verify their address, they began to tell Tia that they were lacking secure housing. That’s why they couldn’t pick up their medications. Tia looked over the list of the member’s medications which treated chronic conditions. She knew the member’s health would be in severe risk soon and could likely result in hospitalization if they didn’t resume treatments.