Bedside medication delivery programs (a.k.a. med-to-bed programs) can be a winning investment for hospitals and health systems, given their potential to both improve outcomes, and grow pharmacy revenues.

However, programs at many institutions still struggle to engage stakeholders, find a sustainable program model, and reach a majority of patients.

This research report provides 15 best practices to implement or improve your med-to-bed program, as well as outcomes from leading programs and an analysis of the challenges others face in realizing results.

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15 practices for implementing or improving your med-to-bed program

Establish broad support

• Make a compelling and deliberate case (p. 17)
• Include multidisciplinary planning input (p. 20)
• Educate care team early and often (p. 23)

Position the program to grow revenues

• Begin with a strategic pilot (p. 27)
• Maximize access across hospital (p. 33)

Communicate value to patients

• Raise program awareness before admission (p. 39)
• Ensure a clear program introduction (p. 40)

Enhance process efficiency

• Enroll patients at multiple touchpoints (p. 45)
• Track patients throughout hospital stay (p. 48)
• Minimize burden on floor staff (p. 50)
• Formulate a multimodal payment strategy (p. 55)

Support continuity of care

• Include refill instructions with medication delivery (p. 59)
• Provide high-value medication education (p. 60)
• Target high-risk patients for post-discharge phone calls (p. 62)
• Integrate health and wellness services (p. 63)

Special Report: Options for Institutions Without a Wholly Owned Retail Pharmacy Presence (p. 65)

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Online Appendix

• Mercy Health Saint Mary's Med-to-Bed Program Introductory Script
• Augusta University Medical Center's Med-to-Bed Program Cerner Tool Screen Shots