MARIEL & BRETT

TRANSITION OF CARE PHARMACIST & PHARMACY TECHNICIAN.

How can we make sure patients take the right medications after they’ve left the hospital? With a grant from the Albert Einstein Society, we’re piloting a program to see if cell phones can help.

We work together to make this happen. Mariel identifies inpatients who might benefit from the program, then Brett visits to determine if they’d like to participate. If so, he programs an app with the patient’s medication plan, loads it onto an iPhone, and gives it to the patient.

The eMedonline® app from Leap of Faith Technologies provides medication reminders, and alerts us if they’ve missed a dose. If they fall below an 85 percent adherence rate, or if they indicate they have a question, we call to follow up.
Of the 21 patients to go through the one-month program, 15 have completed it without being readmitted. All of the patients have asked if they could keep the phone and the app for longer than 30 days! It definitely helps patients develop a habit of taking their medications.

Together, donors and grantees like us are making a difference. We are Einstein.

Brett Healy is a Pharmacy Technician and Mariel Sjeime is a Transition of Care Pharmacist at Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia.