If you're seeking a case study on industry disruption, Centennial Pharmacy Services is a prime example. Under the visionary leadership of the Dymowski Family, with the dynamic Lindsay Dymowski Constantino at its helm, Centennial Pharmacy Services is revolutionizing pharmacy delivery for the chronically ill and aging population. Their innovative Long Term Care at Home model provides groundbreaking solutions, allowing patients to receive comprehensive pharmacy care at home without the need for hospital or long-term care facility admissions.
"Our mission is to transform the way pharmacy care is delivered, particularly for those aging or with complex and chronic conditions who wish to remain at home," Dymowski Constantino explains.
Under her leadership, Centennial Pharmacy Services has redefined the traditional pharmacy model by focusing on comprehensive medication management that seamlessly integrates into patients' lives at home. They are proactively addressing a looming healthcare crisis: by 2030, the entire Baby Boomer generation will be over 65. This demographic will also be the sickest and longest-living in history, creating unprecedented strains on our healthcare system that we are only beginning to understand. Furthermore, their comorbidities will require more sophisticated care.
Pharmacists have long been the most accessible healthcare providers and managing medications is the biggest responsibility for patients, who manage their healthcare independently. Medication non-adherence has been a leading cause of needing facility care and one of the biggest factors in avoidable hospital readmissions. Centennial's services ensure that patients receive comprehensive pharmacy care, enabling them to manage their medications independently. This allows long-term care facilities to be reserved for the most complex cases rather than being filled with individuals who simply need better support with their medications. Centennial's Long Term Care at Home model is thus not only innovative but essential in addressing the evolving needs of our aging population.
Centennial Pharmacy Services started as a traditional family-owned pharmacy serving the local Philadelphia community. Like most disruptors, Centennial's innovations were driven by the evolving needs of their customers. Dymowski Constantino observed that their patient base was becoming increasingly prescription-dependent, more frequently non-adherent to their medication regimens, and often discharged from hospitals for preventable reasons, such as fainting from taking too many blood pressure pills. Additionally, more patients expressed a strong desire to remain at home with family or paid caregivers, regardless of their medical conditions, rather than being placed in a facility. In response, Centennial began tailoring their pharmacy services to provide the level of care and coordination traditionally seen in facilities, better-supporting patients, caregivers, and community providers involved in their care.
Dymowski Constantino shares, "This did not start as a strategic move. We were at a crossroads. We could either continue doing things as they had always been done or forge a new path that addressed the evolving needs of our patients as they aged or developed complex medical conditions."
By forging this new path in response to the changing needs of their community, Centennial Pharmacy Services is redefining the pharmacy industry. The complexities faced by people managing chronic conditions at home created a demand for services that ensure seamless medication management. Combining the expertise of clinical pharmacists with adherence tools, advanced care coordination, and cutting-edge technologies, Centennial ensures patients can easily stick to their medication regimens, reducing hospitalizations and improving outcomes for both patients and providers.
"We understand it can be overwhelming for patients and caregivers to manage multiple medications from various doctors. We streamline the process and remove the guesswork. Most importantly, our team at Centennial communicates with providers, specialty practices, in-home partners, caregivers, and patients to ensure everyone involved in the patient's care plan understands the medication regimen," says Dymowski Constantino.
One example of Centennial's streamlined approach is their commitment to community-based pharmacy. At a time when community pharmacies are closing, and national pharmacies have centralized into larger brands operating from a single location, Centennial has chosen to maintain the community aspect of community pharmacy. This approach allows Centennial's team to understand and address the unique needs of each patient in their local areas, enabling them to customize services to meet those specific needs. This includes forming specific contracts to address care gaps with local MCOs and providing compliance packaging tools with different languages and pictures.
"Medication mismanagement often leads to hospitalization and increased overall healthcare costs. We simplify the process, making it understandable and manageable, and we review each patient's case monthly to ensure everything stays on track. We are proud that our patients have a medication adherence rate of over 94%," reports Dymowski Constantino.
The Dymowski family recognized that their successful pharmacy model needed to be shared across the industry. To achieve this, they co-founded the LTC@Home Pharmacy Network, aiming to standardize this innovative approach into a sustainable practice for the entire pharmacy sector. The network expands the reach of LTC at home, enabling industry partners like health plans and PBMs to understand this sector better and establish reimbursable pathways. Additionally, the network provides a platform for other pharmacies to learn how to integrate LTC at-home practices into their operations, ensuring they can offer compliant, high-quality long-term care pharmacy services at home.
"All patients and caregivers deserve access to services that improve their quality of life while dealing with health challenges. By increasing awareness and education for Long Term Care at Home across the nation, we can guide this sector of pharmacy into a sustainable and recognized practice and support the delivery of consistent and reliable long-term care pharmacy to more patients, no matter where they live," says Dymowski Constantino.
Dymowski Constantino's innovative initiatives have garnered national recognition; she was named one of the top 50 most influential leaders in pharmacy for her significant contributions to the field.
Centennial Pharmacy Services and the LTC@Home Pharmacy Network exemplify how innovation and a patient-first approach can revolutionize an industry. By redefining the role of pharmacy in long-term care, Dymowski Constantino and her team are addressing some of the most pressing challenges in healthcare today.
"I didn't set out to disrupt the pharmacy industry. I responded to the needs of my patients using the best tools available," she says. "Our patient-centric approach may be shaking things up, but what truly matters are the improved outcomes we've achieved."
For more information about Centennial Pharmacy Services, please visit www.centennialpharmacy.com.
