Military members and their families sacrifice a lot for our country. Frequent relocation means often having to re-establish new schools and new friends. In addition, deployment brings prolonged separation from a parent(s), leaving childcare to the remaining care-taker while being far from extended family.
Chronic illness for military families makes frequent moving and prolonged separation even more challenging. Every time a family relocates or their current primary doctor gets deployed, they need to re-establish a new primary care provider and sometimes specialist. This new provider may or not be familiar with the chronic condition. After establishing a new provider, a referral may need to be made to a new specialist for that chronic condition. That’s a lot for a parent to take on, especially if their spouse is deployed, and they have multiple children with no extended family nearby for support.
Denise is a mother of four. Two of her children have hemophilia, and her husband is in the Army. She said in an interview with BioMatrix,
“We’ve moved a lot. Officially, we have PCS’d I believe 7 times, but we have moved for one reason or another about 14 times. Moving and re-establishing care is always an issue. First, we have to get the move approved by the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP). Once we move, we have to see a primary care physician before we receive a referral for the hematologist.”
Kalee is a mother of three. Her son also has hemophilia. Her husband is in the Air Force. She said in an interview,
“We have moved 6 times, but only once since Henry was born. Moving has been tough, time-consuming, and emotional. Organizing everything, speaking with new people and explaining the diagnosis is the most exhausting part so far.”
The Importance of Continuity of Care
Continuity of Care (COC) is the focus and process of quality care over time, driven by the healthcare provider who works cooperatively with the patient’s entire care team. Ideally, no one is working in a vacuum, and there is no overlap of services—i.e. multiple pharmacies being used simultaneously, multiple specialists who are from different healthcare systems, etc. When COC is present, studies show that there are fewer emergency room visits, increased adherence to therapy, improved patient satisfaction, and lower overall healthcare costs.1 Health outcomes improve when COC is high.2
With frequent moves, deployments, and having to often re-establish new healthcare providers, specialty pharmacies can promote COC by helping coordinate care across multiple healthcare access points for those with chronic conditions by:
Leveraging detailed clinical knowledge with individualized patient information to help providers fine tune treatment plans
Helping patients understand their coverage, coordinating health benefits, securing prompt authorization for prescribed therapy, and providing access to resources reducing barriers to care
Coordinating services between patient, provider, payer, and other community-based resources to overcome challenges, maintain continuity, and promote safe, effective care
BioMatrix is a nationwide, TRICARE-approved specialty pharmacy providing oral, injectable, and biologic medications used to treat complex health conditions. We help implement complex treatment plans and empower patients to better manage their condition through individualized specialty pharmacy and unique support services.
BioMatrix coordinates services between patient, provider, payer, and other community-based resources to bridge gaps, preserve continuity, and improve outcomes. We are proud to work with our military families. Whether you’re a patient or provider, we want to be an advocate and supportive resource for you.
References
Wick, J. “Broadening Pharmacy’s Role: Continuity of Care.” Pharmacy Times, 2006, www.pharmacytimes.com/publications/issue/2006/2006-05/2006-05-5537
Walraven, Carl Van, et al. “The Association Between Continuity of Care and Outcomes: a Systematic and Critical Review.” Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, vol. 16, no. 5, 2010, pp. 947–956., doi:10.1111/j.1365-2753.2009.01235.x.
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