MedMe Health (YC W21)’s Post

Male patient mid 50’s on coversyl 4 mg once daily for high blood pressure. Yesterday , I received a fax for coversyl 8 mg once daily and a note to discontinue 4 mg . Called patient to see what’s going on.. patient had his blood pressure measured in the morning and it was about 170/110 mmHg🤯 The next thing he did was that he called his primary physician and the “ receptionist “ took the call and the message and let the physician know. No further communication with patient, as the physician was so busy. When I received the changed Rx with the high dose and spoke with patient.. guess what I decided not to dispense or change his dose. Rather keep his current dose 4 mg once daily. Upon asking more questions of what was happening that morning, the night before this patient picked up Nasonex nasal spray for 7 days that could trigger high blood pressure , how many blood pressure readings were taken, and the proper techniques of having it measured. What could have happened if we dispensed the new dose and thinking to ourselves doctors know better 🤔 #pharmacists are essential and pillars in heathcare and patient care . Pharmacy-led primary care clinics integration into healthcare services will improve an array of health outcome quality measures, such as appropriate medication use, hypertension control, medication consultations, improved prescribing, reduced healthcare utilization and medication costs, and improvement in the management of chronic conditions 📣pharmacists!!! We are not pill counters or physicians’ pleasers . We are drug experts and extremely knowledgeable of diseases management. We’re also well positioned to relieve stress on healthcare systems and more importantly keeping patients out of emergency rooms. 🆘 Side note: You can’t imagine how this patient appreciated our conversation ,he mentioned that no physician had such a medical review for him like what the pharmacist did. ☺️ #patientcare #pharmacists #expandedscope #communitypharmacists #patientsafetyfirst

💊 Community Pharmacy at a Breaking Point 💊 As an LPC CEO, I witness every day the relentless strain on community pharmacies—not just from inadequate reimbursement but from rising costs, workforce shortages, and closures. Pharmacy minister Stephen Kinnock’s recent statement that “reimbursement arrangements do not aim to ensure that every pharmacy is paid as much or more than it paid for every product” (https://lnkd.in/eV-xGS_q) shows just how far policy is from reality. A recent NPA - National Pharmacy Association report reveals pharmacies are losing £75.99 per pack on Amantadine, a critical Parkinson’s drug—over £1 per tablet lost. Pharmacies are being asked to shoulder these losses, all while dealing with surging costs, including a recent National Insurance and minimum wage increase that the Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA) have found will cost pharmacies on average an additional £12,002 per year, making it harder to stay afloat. If the reimbursement does not reflect this we will lose our pharmacies, which are apparently a key part of the strategy to move care out of hospitals and closer to home, accessible to those who need it! Despite it all, pharmacy teams continue doing what they do best: looking after their communities with compassion and dedication. But the strain is unsustainable. This is a crisis—without fair funding, pharmacies will continue to close, and patients will lose local access to essential care. Our teams can no longer keep bearing this burden alone. 📢 We need urgent action. Let’s ensure that policymakers understand the critical role of pharmacies and stand by them with fair funding and sustainable reimbursement. #SupportPharmacy #CommunityPharmacy #PharmacyFunding #HealthcareCrisis #ProtectPharmacies #MentalHealthMatters Zehra SafdarDina ThakkerRaj MatharuMayank PatelYogendra ParmarHitesh PatelAndrew Lane

We are at the Houses of Parliament today to lobby for the swift implementation of model one of hub and spoke for pharmacy. This was originally announced in the CPCF 2019. Now is the time for the govt to stop the delays and make the necessary changes. This will provide the much needed structural changes in #communitypharmacy to allow pharmacies to offer more clinical services including pharmacy first. This should be an easy decision to make for policy makers. Cross pharmacy support, no funding needed, market ready, capacity created, primary care pressure reduced, more motivated workforce. I have spoken with hundreds of pharmacists who are overwhelmed with the daily workload and pressure they face each day, struggling to cope never mind being able to offer more clinical services. HubRx creates at least 15 hours of pharmacy time per day and has transformed our pharmacies, allowing us to increase our clinical services. We are upskilling our workforce and our aim is to have an IP in every branch by end of 2025. Community pharmacy is at a crossroads and we need to fight to take this opportunity or see it go elsewhere like other clinical services over the years. #No more delays #Hub&spoke

With these so-called pharmacy leaders, it has taken a non-pharmacist to unpick and articulate Community Pharmacy's reimbursement challenges. The whole system needs re-wiring and re-engineering. I am grateful to have non-pharmacy leaders like Amit Patel, who do much for Community Pharmacy. We need an urgent sitdown with the Pharmaceutical Industry, wholesalers, Community Pharmacy, DH and the Treasury to unlock this,

This is one of the reasons why we started MedMe Health (YC W21) – to help pharmacies alleviate the burden on other healthcare facilities. The results from Nova Scotia are remarkable – nearly a 10% drop in emergency room visits for less urgent conditions. Although it's difficult to pinpoint the exact impact of each initiative, we know the pharmacy-led clinic pilot program with 26 pharmacies played a significant role. Many of these pharmacies are using MedMe's clinical services platform, which aligns perfectly with our vision of transforming pharmacies into community healthcare hubs. At MedMe, our mission is to expand the capacity of the healthcare system by enabling pharmacies to provide accessible, patient-centric health services. Our north star metric, the number of Paid Healthcare Services/Interactions facilitated by MedMe, tracks the meaningful contributions of our platform to the broader healthcare system. Together, we are making healthcare more efficient and accessible. Kudos to all the pharmacists leading this transformation! #pharmacy #healthtech #primarycare #pharmacycare

🚨 Community Pharmacy Closures: A Growing Crisis In 2024, 222 community pharmacies in England closed their doors permanently—the second-highest annual closure rate on record. Over the past two years, nearly 90% of council areas have felt the impact of this alarming trend. The Local Government Association (LGA) warns that these closures—coupled with the push toward community-based care—could have serious unintended consequences for patients' health and wellbeing. Community pharmacies are more than just healthcare providers; they are vital social and economic anchors in our neighborhoods. Pharmacies are closing due to significant budget cuts, and many of those that remain open are struggling to survive, increased number of prescription does not necessarily mean increased profits. Every pharmacist knows the phrase 'dispensing at a loss' unfortunately. The patients—particularly in isolated areas—are paying the price, with reduced access to medications and expert advice. In my own region, the South West UK, Cornwall has lost 11 pharmacies in 2024 alone. In a region of the UK with a far higher average age - 45 in Cornwall vs 40.7 UK average, this obviously has a huge effect. This is a call to action. Without urgent and sustainable funding, our community pharmacies risk disappearing, leaving a void in the healthcare system that cannot easily be filled. I work in the industry and I work for Movianto, we support online pharmacies with Delivery Logistics, Warehousing and 3PL activities and we do it extremely well (even if I say so myself!), however we all recognise the need for community pharmacies - after all, we deliver to the vast majority of them every single day, acting on behalf of hundreds of our clients. Let’s work together to support and advocate for the future of community pharmacies. They’re essential to healthy communities and thriving high streets. What are your thoughts on this? How can we ensure community pharmacies remain sustainable? #Healthcare #Pharmacy #CommunityCare #SustainableFunding #PatientCare #Movianto

The proof of the pudding is always in the tasting. Early in 2023 Premier Houston made a significant bet that increasing scope for pharmacists in 26 pharmacy care clinics can and will move the needle on access, flow and outcomes for patients struggling to get their basic health needs addressed. The data is in, and it clearly indicates this form of innovation and investment delivers results and return on investment for health systems. And the cherry on the top is that it gives people and patients more access and an improved experience. Well done Nova Scotia!! https://lnkd.in/g_R-ty8e

Pharmacists are continuing to play a much bigger, and more important, role in community care. Advanced Services and other initiatives are enabling pharmacists to deliver more varied levels of care for patients, and relieve some of the financial pressures they feel from funding cuts and fluctuations in the price of medicines. In our new blog we gather insights from pharmacists and experts to examine the role Advanced Services are playing in the pharmacy industry today and what they could mean for the future of pharmacy. The blog looks at: - How offering Advanced Services can help speed up access to community care - How initiatives like Pharmacy First will help relieve the strain on GPs and the wider NHS - How the NHS must adopt a collaborative approach to Advanced Pharmacy Services for patients to experience the full benefits - How Advanced Services can prove profitable and improve pharmacy operations - What pharmacists can do to properly manage Advanced Services as a part of their business Read the blog by clicking the link below https://bit.ly/48b42NE #AdvancedServices #CommunityCare #PharmacyFirst #PharmacyInnovation #HealthcareCollaboration

I've learned there are around 1.6 million people in the UK visiting a community pharmacy per day! Community pharmacies are vital to the UK’s primary care, working alongside GPs, dentists, and optometrists. They do much more than dispense medications—they provide health advice, support long-term care, and deliver NHS services on high streets and supermarkets across the country. Key points to consider: - contracted by the NHS: pharmacies operate under the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) - diverse income streams: funded through NHS fees, advanced services, retail sales, and quality schemes - evolving role: moving towards clinical services like Pharmacy First, leveraging automation to improve efficiency #CommunityPharmacy #PrimaryCare #HealthcareInnovation #NHS

Thank you Canadian Pharmacists Association for pulling together not just #pharmacists, but #healthcareprofessionals, #policymakers, and #thoughtleaders from across the country to discuss the evolving role of pharmacists in #primarycare. A few takeaways: - Reimagine primary care together: We need interprofessional, collaborative visioning on the future of primary care that is patient driven. - Nova Scotia has set the stage: This innovative example of Pharmacy-led Primary Care Clinics leverages the pharmacist expertise and reduced ER/Walk-in clinic visits. - Digital Tools and Technology: We need to embrace the use of digital health tools to enhance primary care delivery and communications between health care professionals. - Policy & Advocacy: Policy changes need to enable accessible, equitable primary care delivery in Canada starting with harmonization of scopes across jurisdictions. The insights and strategies discussed at the summit is just a start to a blueprint for transforming primary care in Canada. #CPhASummit #healthcareleadership