Pharmacy program helps members stay on track with medication
A personal pharmacy program in action
Marilyn was married to the love of her life, Blake, for 32 years.
“We were just meant to be together,” she said.
She described Blake as the life of the party, incredibly smart and an all-around good guy. In 2018, Blake’s health took a sudden turn and he passed away unexpectedly.
“I came home to an empty house with no direction,” Marilyn said. “I didn’t realize at first just how lonely I was.”
In the years that followed, Marilyn said she struggled to take care of herself, and wasn’t keeping up with her medications, specifically for her type 2 diabetes.
When she didn’t refill her prescription, Sini Abraham, a clinical pharmacist with UnitedHealthcare, reached out to help.
“That’s when Sini called,” Marilyn said. “And she was just a ray of sunshine.”
National Personal Pharmacy Program helps find medication solutions
Sini is part of the National Personal Pharmacy program (NP3), which is exclusively available for UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage members. When she saw that Marilyn had not filled her prescription, she gave her a call to see how she could help her overcome any barriers.
“We listen to our members, we try to understand their challenges of what exactly is the reason they’re not adhering to their medications,” Sini said. “[Marilyn] was going through a lot of personal struggles.”
With over 150 clinical pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and managers as part of NP3, the team is committed to staying true to their name – and make medication management personal.
As a clinical pharmacist, Sini uses her expertise to collaborate with providers, nurses and other health care professionals to help members effectively use and understand their medications. She is also passionate about helping members manage their chronic conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, providing not just education but the empowerment they need to take better care of their health.
Helping Medicare Advantage members with medication adherence
When members are inconsistent with their medication, Sini said the reasons can be anything from not understanding how the medication works or why it’s critical for them to take it to side effects they’re experiencing or a prohibitive cost.
“When we listen to these challenges, I put myself in their shoes,” Sini said. “And then I think to myself, ‘what can I do to help you to be able to overcome that challenge?’ And sometimes it might be something as simple as just educating the member on a particular disease state or it could be an alternative medication.”
When Sini spoke with Marilyn, she gently helped Marilyn understand the importance of taking her diabetes medication and helped give her the motivation to prioritize her health again.
“So having that discussion really helped her because it made her think about the future and she herself was motivated to say, ‘I'm going to be on top of this,’” Sini said.
For Marilyn, she said that one call was life-changing.
“She was compassionate, listened and made some suggestions,” Marilyn said. “I’m so much better today because of that conversation with her.”
Marilyn was able to get back on track with her medication. Since then, she’s lost 38 pounds, and moreover, feels much better and healthier.
“I feel great,” she said. “I feel like I’m becoming my old self again. I’m coming full circle.”
Share
