Imagine balancing between LTC pharmacy operations and maintaining a hands-on local presence. That’s exactly the adventure Kara Benson has embarked on at Lewis Family Drug, spanning South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa.
Her time in the pharmacy industry showcases the best of retail and long-term care pharmacy models. Read on to learn more about Kara’s pharmacy journey, Lewis Family Drug’s role in the LTC industry, and how to streamline your pharmacy operations.
Kara’s pharmacy journey begins like many others: after receiving her PharmD degree, she was looking for work. She became a pharma assistant, getting a front-row seat to the LTC world and its unique place in the industry. After working in a combo shop, she became fascinated with a side of pharmacy that she hadn’t seen before.
“I started to become interested in the operational side of LTC pharmacy,” Kara says.
“How does this all work? Where does pharmacy play a role? How are we impacting what's going on in the facilities?”
Her ability to see patient care from the perspectives of both the provider and nursing home gave her an indispensable outlook on the industry. Having the foresight to properly care for patients while keeping an eye on pharmacy financials eventually led her to Lewis Family Drug, where she is currently the Director of Long-Term Care.
For over eight decades (yes, you read that right), Lewis Drug has been a healthcare staple for the South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa communities. Like many successful pharmacies, they keep their ear to the ground when it comes to relevant and innovative patient care solutions. Such services include health screenings, a wide array of immunizations, COVID-19 care, daily dose packets called “Smart Packs,” med sync, and more.
To deliver even more comprehensive patient care, Lewis plunged into the LTC pharmacy world. Initially, the pharmacy debated between having two closed-door long-term care pharmacies or centralizing services. They decided to centralize while maintaining a strong local presence. The result is a pharmacy model that blends central fill efficiency with the personalized touch of a local pharmacy — a combo shop in every sense of the term.
“By having that local presence,” she says, “we keep those relationships with the community. Our pharmacy technicians and staff are still going to the same schools, churches, grocery stores as those working in these nursing home facilities, which is huge. We love that we can have an impact in our community, and we don't ever want to change that.”
Managing inventory is no small feat, especially when dealing with both long-term care residents and retail customers. Kara’s team faces distinct challenges that you might not think about but are nevertheless prominent issues if left unchecked.
“Every time there's an NDC change, we have to notify every outside location about the change and update our formulary as we go.”
Inventory management in the LTC pharmacy industry is about tight scheduling and understanding the facility's needs. By integrating electronic medical records (EMR) with the right pharmacy software and employing managed inventory groups, you too can ensure the smooth sailing of pharmacy operations.
One of Kara’s main strategic priorities for the next twelve months is enhancing transition of care programs to keep patients at home. Rather than seeing patients bounce between facilities, Kara and her team at Lewis Family Drug focus on creating robust, supportive relationships with the retail side to achieve this goal.
“One of the things that we've been focused on is capitalizing on our unique relationship with the retail side, including transitions of care programs to keep people at home.” She continues, “We're hoping to create a transition of care program with our unique model having both long-term care services and retail services to keep people.”
Beyond the technicalities, Kara’s approach emphasizes the human element, putting the “care” in “patient care.” She aims for the pharmacy to be the friendly face recognized by both patients and facility. Even the delivery driver is a pivotal figure in this ecosystem, underscoring the importance of everyone’s role.
Kara Benson’s pharmacy journey is a testament to the power of blending the retail and LTC worlds to create a model that serves patients efficiently and compassionately.
Combining robust pharmacy strategies with a personal touch is what the industry is all about. In the LTC world, Kara continues to innovate, ensuring that Lewis Family Drug isn’t just a pharmacy, but a proper pillar of the community.
Click here to watch Kara’s appearance on the AmplifyLTC Podcast:
