In 2021, hospices and hospice care providers had to play catch up after managing the unexpected costs and losses associated with COVID-19. Almost every aspect of hospice operations was affected by the pandemic, resulting in providers pivoting their business operations to meet the needs of the patient.
With 2022 opening with a new variant sweeping the country, the hope of COVID-19 becoming an endemic virus and a labor market with no historical precedent, the next 12 months promise to be eventful to say the least. The subject matter experts of the hospice professionals of Enclara Pharmacia’s Speakers Bureau have prepared some insights about what changes are likely in 2022 as well as their plans to address clients’ top priorities in the year ahead.
Labor Shortages
Natasha M. S. Jackson, PharmD, Director, Training and Education
We anticipate that in 2022 hospices will remain focused on attracting and engaging new staff, while retaining existing staff through all levels of patient care. Enclara will continue to create resources to help our hospice partners navigate training and education needs that arise with more frequent personnel changes.
Digital Transformation
Raymond Capella, PharmD, MBA, VP, Clinical Services
Technology will continue to play a growing role in the industry in 2022. Enclara will be rolling out new virtual training and education resources for our clients, as well as a more intuitive and enhanced version of our E3 application. This will allow hospice staff benefit from a seamless connection from EMR to mobile and desktop interfaces for easy medication profiling and dispensing options.
Medication Management
Deanna R. Douglass, PharmD, SVP, Business Development
Responsible Medication management will continue to evolve and play a key role in the provider community. Enclara is currently working on a partnership that will help clients better leverage information gained through a simplified documentation process around disposal of medications, improving compliance, reducing diversion and ultimately providing insight to better ordering practices based on specific patient factors.
Supply Chain Considerations
Patrick Leary, VP, Client Services
Supply chain and labor challenges will continue to affect most industries, including pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution logistics. Enclara’s operations team has been able to limit or prevent the impact of many shortages through our significant volume and ordering patterns. We continue to invest in upgrades at our fulfillment centers, increasing the speed and capacity to get packages out the door quickly as possible while also building flexibility and resilience into our operations to prepare for future challenges.
