Relationships Make the Difference at Bridgewell
Bridgewell is a new type of medication therapy management (MTM) partner that brings clinical pharmacy services best practices to primary care and specialty clinics. We promise to improve the lives of patients, help providers manage complex risk, and lower the overall cost of healthcare.
Unlike others who may pledge similar attention, we’re not going to simply check the box. We take the time to listen, build rapport, engage with the patient appropriately, and bring value in ways that may seem like we’ve gone above and beyond, but it’s just what we do.
Exceeding expectations
Most MTM vendors are so focused on completing a comprehensive medication review that they look for the fastest, cheapest way to complete a comprehensive medication review (CMR) . They typically assign a pharmacy student (with some supervision), call the patient, quickly conduct an interview to see if he or she is still taking the medications, and update the records accordingly.
That's it.
At Bridgewell, we call this a “check the box” CMR because the pharmacy student will probably spend as little as 10 to 15 minutes on the phone with the patient and then do the absolute bare minimum to complete paperwork before moving on.
Where this may be typical and unfortunately common, Bridgewell works differently, as this example showcases:
Jane is a complex diabetic patient who was having difficulty managing her blood sugars and taking nine different medications. Four medications were prescribed to manage her diabetes and the five others were prescribed to improve her mental health. However, some of those medications also made her blood sugars more unstable.
This case was assigned to our clinical pharmacist Stacy who completed a comprehensive interview over a video-enabled telehealth platform instead of telephone. This method allowed Jane to put a face to the name and build immediate trust with Stacy. Additionally, Stacy was able to see the patient in her surroundings to get a better idea of her home life.
The 35-minute interview was a little longer than usual, but in the process Stacy was able to uncover multiple issues Jane was dealing with. Because she wasn't adherent to some of her diabetes medications, this was likely a contributing factor to poor blood sugar control. Stacy discussed with Jane the importance of taking these medications exactly as prescribed while clearly outlining how the medications could improve her quality of life and ultimately her long-term health.
Beyond providing education, Stacy asked questions and discovered Jane was frustrated. Her doctor's request for the Freestyle Libre blood glucose monitor had been denied by the health insurance company, thus prohibiting her ability to keep on top of her blood sugar levels so she could be in better control.
At the conclusion of the call, Stacy contacted one of Bridgewell’s Patient Care Advocates to gather some research. She also reached out to the health insurance company on behalf of the patient. Stacy learned that this particular monitor would, in fact, be covered under Jane’s medical benefits. Stacy also acquired the necessary paperwork for Jane’s doctor to complete so she could get the monitor approved.
Stacy immediately called Jane to explain the process and then worked with the doctor to get the monitor ordered. She later followed up to be sure the paperwork was approved by the insurance company.
Because all of our pharmacists are local to the community they serve and are focused on building relationships, Stacy reached out to Jane a month later to follow up. She found that Jane was much happier, more compliant with her diabetes medications, and more informed about her blood sugar levels.
Your MTM Partner
Each patient is unique. That’s why the Bridgewell teams take time to understand each patient and work with their providers and health plans to improve the effectiveness of medications and reduce the unnecessary complexity of prescription drugs in very specific ways.
Our team is focused on more than just checking the box and getting another review done. While that practice might work in the short term for some, our primary goal is to help patients live a healthier life and improve the quality of care provided by their providers and health plans. We see those things as a long-term gain for all those involved. It’s a win-win-win.
And because we leverage decades of experience working in hospitals, pharmacies, clinics, and health plans, we have an understanding of all aspects of the healthcare system with specific expertise in managing the overall cost-effectiveness of pharmaceuticals.
We’ll take the time and happily be different from other MTM vendors because we know helping patients not only allows for safer and healthier individuals, but ultimately impacts your bottom line. Want to see how we can help you? Contact us and let’s start a conversation that we hope to build into a relationship.
