Walgreens opens pharmacy inside N.J. hospital

Walgreens recently opened a retail pharmacy inside Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden, N.J.

The pharmacy is part of a partnership between the retail chain and Trinity Health, the hospital’s parent company. It is designed to address transitional care following hospital discharge. Lourdes is the first Trinity Health hospital to open an in-hospital retail pharmacy.

See also: The pharmacists’ role in transitions of care

“Medication noncompliance is a major reason for readmission to the hospital, especially for patients with chronic conditions such as heart failure and diabetes,” Lourdes Health System Chief Executive Alexander J. Hatala toldNJBIZ. “Working with patients before they leave the hospital and after they are discharged will help ensure patients obtain, understand and take the medicines that are an important part of their health.”

Patients can fill prescriptions prior to discharge, and pharmacy staff members provide medication consultations. This bedside medication delivery service is introduced to patients by a Walgreens pharmacy technician. If the patient agrees to receive the discharge medications, he or she will receive a 30-day renewable supply.

The pharmacy also offers a transitional care program at the hospital. A pharmacist contacts patients who enroll in the program within 48 hours of discharge to discuss medications. The patient is then contacted two more times within 30 days for follow-up.