Have some questions about TrustCare Pharmacy and what we do?
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Frequently Asked Questions
Find out more about who we are and what we do right here.
What does TrustCare Pharmacy do?
TrustCare Pharmacy is the specialty care pharmacy that provides medication and value-added pharmacy services to long term care, retirement and group homes. We are committed to achieving exceptional customer satisfaction and providing outstanding pharmacy services.
Where is TrustCare located?
Our corporate office is located in Etobioke, Ontario and we have pharmacies in Etobicoke, Ottawa, Richmond Hill, Ontario and has affiliate locations in London and Windsor, Ontario.
What sets TrustCare apart from other pharmacies?
According to our customers, what sets TrustCare apart falls into three categories: custmizezed pharmacies and clinical services, our relationships with care teams and our core philosophy. Our customers can reach a member of their service team - including the Consultant Pharmacist - 24 hours a day, seven days a week. TrustCare builds relationships with clients, and is invested in their quest for quality resident care and organizational excellence.
What is a TrustCare "Customer Care Team"?
Every client has a TrustCare Team to ensure all aspects of the relationship are properly managed. The Team includes an Account Manager, Consultant Pharmacist and Billing Representative.
What kinds of value-added services does TrustCare offer?
In addition to excellent medication dispensing, TrustCare provides a host of clinical and quality control support, training on a wide range of topics such as geriatric care, audit and regulatory inspections and technology to support such programs. We also offer clinically based educational programming, quality assurance audits and mock surveys.
How does TrustCare ensure operational excellence?
At TrustCare, using Lean Six Sigma principles, we are constantly refining our processes. Medications - delivered directly to each nursing station by our drivers and couriers – are pre-packaged in unit of use for each resident, on a medication cart customized to meet your facility’s needs and reduce nursing time spent handling medications. All medications are tracked electronically to simplify reordering.
Our integrated information management system documents medicines, specific diagnoses and side effects, as well as medication history and laboratory and diet orders. The system also provides the opportunity to manage the individual facility formularies.
Who should I call to review a resident’s medication profile?
Our pharmacy dedicates a pharmacist to your Home. Not a “call centre”. If you have questions about the medications being received by one of your residents, you should talk to the pharmacist dedicated to your facility. If you don't know who that is, call 1-855-679-9099.
How are residents protected from negative drug-drug interactions?
Our Consultant Pharmacists continually review resident profiles and work with the resident's primary care physician to make sure unnecessary medications are discontinued, dangerous medications are removed and the latest, most efficacious and cost-effective medications are used to maximize healthcare benefits.
What is a consultant pharmacist, and what does he/she do?
A consultant pharmacist is a clinical pharmacist specially trained in the areas of geriatrics and long-term care. Consultant pharmacists review medication regimens for each resident in the skilled nursing facility monthly. Reviews are done every other month or quarterly for some residents in assisted living facilities (by facility request and state requirements). They work closely with the facility staff, physicians/nurse practitioners and other interdisciplinary team members to ensure optimal resident care. Our goal is maximizing resident function and quality of life while minimizing the number of medications needed. Currently, we average over eight requests for medication discontinuations for every one request for medication addition. We also make recommendations regarding medication dose reduction, duration of therapy, medication monitoring (lab work, vital signs, etc.), drug interactions, potential adverse drug reactions and medication substitutions for greater efficacy, reduction in nursing med-pass time and decrease in costs. Our consultant pharmacists enjoy an excellent working relationship with physicians and average a 90% positive response rate to recommendations.
TrustCare Pharmacy Consultant Pharmacists are also available for clinical questions, drug information, survey support, medication bill reviews and for participation on various committees such as QA/CQI Committees, Fall Prevention, Weight Management and Psychotropic Medication Committees.
How do I learn about drug side effects?
Drug information is available for all drugs dispensed by TrustCare. Simply request that we include a medication guide and whether you desire a professional or resident-centered version. Additionally, facilities are supplied with drug handbooks for the nurses to reference.
If I have questions about how a drug should be administered, who should I call?
Your Home’s dedicated pharmacists at TrustCare or your Consultant Pharmacist can answer those questions. If the concern is related directly to nursing skills or technique, then our staff of knowledgeable Nursing Consultants can provide instruction and insight for managing the medication.
Sometimes, residents are admitted to my facility on multiple high-cost drugs. Can TrustCare Pharmacy help reduce costs?
Absolutely! Known as the Pre-Admission Review Program, TrustCare Pharmacy pharmacists routinely evaluate the drug profiles of all new admissions in an attempt to isolate opportunities for switching to formulary substitutions that are less expensive while still maintaining therapeutic equivalency, or instances where medications may be discontinued with physician consent.
What are key concerns regarding storage of drugs?
TrustCare Pharmacy routinely provides courtesy drug storage audits to assist facilities with proper handling of medications. Our main considerations are storage per pharmaceutical manufacturer's guidelines and regulatory requirements, particularly temperature and light restrictions. The second consideration is route of administration and assuring that internal and external drugs are not stored adjacent to each other. Finally, we focus on security of medications by checking that all storage locations are locked and only authorized personnel have access to the medications.
Why is reducing the number of medications important?
Medication related incidents are the #1 reason for hospital admissions from the nursing facility. The more medications a resident takes, the greater the risk for drug-drug interactions and adverse drug reactions. Decreasing the number of medications also decreases drug costs. Besides the obvious costs of drug dispensing, passing fewer medications reduces nursing time and frees the nurses up to perform other duties. TrustCare Pharmacy believes in the goal of minimizing medication therapy while still providing optimal care for our residents
How does TrustCare Pharmacy protect the residents from drug-related problems?
TrustCare Pharmacy Consultant Pharmacists review each resident's medications on a monthly basis to screen for drug-related problems. We also track any adverse drug reactions reported to us by facility or TrustCare Pharmacy staff. These are tracked and reviewed each quarter by our Regulatory Committee. Any trends can be identified and an action plan put into place.
What if a resident needs infusion therapy?
With the support of our partner, we offer a full range of IV and other infusion therapy services, including on-site venepuncture assistance, IV therapy training and support devices such as infusion pumps.
What information is provided by TrustCare Pharmacy at our QA/CQI Meetings?
Our Consultant Pharmacists and Customer Care Account Managers are active participants in your QA/CQI Process. We attend and provide a report including, but not limited to the following:
- Average medication count per resident, broken down by station, if requested, and compared to a TrustCare Pharmacy average for like-sized facilities
- Average psychotropic mediation use by category and compared to provincial and National averages.
- Consultant pharmacist's recommendations by category and the physician response rate to these recommendations
- Customer Care activity during the quarter
- Clinical Education activity during the quarter
- Any other consultant pharmacist services performed, including the results of any QA surveys performed
- Medication errors for the quarter
- Stat delivery report including numbers, which medications and on-time percentages
- Clinical packet: developed by the Consulting and Clinical Education department and including information on new medications, drug warnings, indications, new regulations, new guidelines and new clinical studies pertinent to long-term care.
How does TrustCare Pharmacy educate nursing facility staff on new developments pertinent to long-term care?
TrustCare Pharmacy's clinical education department provides regular clinical packet with updates on regulations, care guidelines, suggested protocols, new policies and any other timely topics. An extensive clinical packet is also distributed at all QA/CQI Meetings. Individualized in-facility in-service programs are available on request from our consultant pharmacists and clinical nurses. Additionally, we sponsor as well as co-sponsor various all-day and half-day educational events that focus on topics of importance to the long-term professionals within our communities.
How often does a pharmacist review medication regimens in long-term care facilities?
Our consultant pharmacists review medications monthly for residents in long term care facilities. Assisted living and other types of facilities also received a dedicated clinical consultant pharmacy services. Assisted living and intermediate care facilities usually have their residents reviewed on a quarterly basis. Our consultant pharmacists are also available for extra reviews upon request for situations such a frequent falls, adverse effects, concern with cost of meds/insurance coverage or any other medication concern.
What does the pharmacist do when a problem/issue arises with a medication?
When issues arise, TrustCare Consultant Pharmacists contact the prescribers to make recommendations in written, digital pen, faxed or direct form. Our pharmacists also offer to meet with prescribers at the facility to discuss medication concerns as well as perform clinical consults upon the request of any practitioner. The internal staff pharmacists generally contact the facility to notify them of medication concerns such as drug contraindications, drug to drug interactions, allergy profile and other dispensing issues or when necessary, communicate these problems directly to the physician. |
