The Benefits of Short-Cycling Long-Term Medications for Residents
Short-cycling is the process of dispensing either name-brand or generic drugs in oral solid form (tablet and capsules) in a 14-day or less supply to patients on Medicare, Medicaid, and Medicare Part D plans. In 2013, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ordered this mandate, and it has been the standard practice for long-term care (LTC) pharmacies, skilled nursing homes, assisted living communities, and any other long-term LTC facilities ever since. As a result, LTC pharmacies may dispense oral solids in 14-day, 7-day, 3-4-day or even 2-2-3-day supplies.
Short cycling medications has been in effect for patients on Medicare, Medicaid, and Medicare Part D plans since 2013, ever since CMS mandated the practice. The goal was originally to reduce wasted prescriptions. However, it has allowed facilities and pharmacies alike to recognize additional benefits that are worth noting.
Short-Cycling Benefit #1: Reduced Prescription Drug Waste
As reducing waste was the original goal of CMS’s mandate, it’s worth mentioning first that reduced waste is a major benefit to short-cycling medication. Before the change, pharmacies would often provide a patient with a 30-day supply of medication, only for the patient’s physician to change their medication before the 30-day supply ran out. This led to many tablets or capsules going to waste, and that’s just for one patient. Apply this scenario to an entire resident community or facility, and you’re looking at a lot of medication not going to any use.
Now that pharmacies can dispense medications in shorter cycles, there is much less medication wasted among residents.
Short-Cycling Benefit #2: Reduced Costs
With waste of medication also comes a pretty significant waste of money. Before the mandate, CMS would find itself fully or partially covering medications for patients covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or a Medicare Part D. If the patient’s doctor switched their medications halfway through the 30-day supply, CMS would have to fully or partially cover another supply of medication without the entirety of the original supply going to use. Plus, if the patient was responsible for any of the payment, that’s extra money unnecessarily spent on their part, as well.
But now that patients benefit from shorter prescription cycles, there is less risk of any payers experiencing wasted spend on unused prescription medications.
Short-Cycling Benefit #3: Better Medication Cart Organization
CMS’ mandate reduced medication waste, costs, and the number of various medications on the medication cart. When prescription cycles were longer and doctors would change medications before the cycle was through, more medications would be added to the medication cart. However, not all obsolete medications would be properly removed, leading to an overloaded, disorganized cart.
Now that shorter cycles are the norm, it’s easier to manage medication carts and keep them organized. There are fewer medications to sort through, fewer medications to track and load onto the cart, less likelihood for a medication error to occur, and more.
Short-Cycling Benefit #3: A More Efficient Medication Pass
An overloaded and disorganized medication cart can negatively impact the medication pass process, or the process of administering medication to each resident. Because nurses have fewer medications to sort through, they can distribute the medications at a faster rate and with more accuracy, greatly improving each medication pass.
Additionally, nurses have a two-hour window for medication administration per patient—they must administer a patient’s medication within the two-hour window before or an hour after the designated time. (For example, if a patient needs to take a medication at 9 a.m., the facility can provide the medication to them anytime between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.) In the past, it was not uncommon for patients to receive their medication outside of the two-hour window. But now, a more efficient and organized pass process helps the nurses stay within this window. In fact, many communities and facilities have reduced medication pass completion by 30 minutes to an hour thanks to the organization that short-cycling allows.
Want Your Community or Facility to Benefit From All Long-Term Care Pharmacy Services, Including Short-Cycling? Partner With Angus Lake Healthcare Today!
Our pharmacists and pharmacy technicians provide the pharmaceutical services you need to care for your residents and help your staff. From filling prescriptions to ensuring compliance packaging, patient education, medication inspections, reviews, vaccinations, and prescription deliveries, we take care of your pharmaceutical needs so you can focus on your residents’ health.
To learn more about the benefits of short-cycling and other LTC services, schedule a consultation with Angus Lake Healthcare today: 478-233-1828.
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