Featured Pharmacist Of The Month

Chris McCann - December Spotlight

Congratulations to our December Featured Pharmacist, Chris McCann! Dr. McCann is a Minnesota-based pharmacist who graduated from the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy. She joined Aspen in August 2021 and has completed 31 CMRs to date and almost 300 TMRs! Chris is being recognized for her frequent going above-and-beyond for the patient to help with their needs. Chris is also a afficiando of motivational interviewing and we believe this helps her to make meaningful connections with patients. She is currently enrolled in Bruce Berger’s MI course. In a recent example,

So, patient's TMR was "A1c >9%".
First let me say it was super nice being able to see his med list during this encounter - it really helped b/c he was a guy who required many open-ended questions and didn't just offer up his list w/o prompting to confirm.

I started by giving him kudos for taking his meds and then asking what was going well for him and what his goals are. He was a bit unclear on some of the health goals or why having an A1c of ~7% is important - it was just a number thrown at him in the past. He offered that he was working on walking more and diet -- he said, "my doctor wants me to walk 30 minutes a day" and I asked how that was going and when we settled on how he currently does 1-2x/wk he got my kudos then I used some of Bruce's MI techniques like, "what would help you want to walk 3 days per week?" And, we went through a few ideas until landing on new walking shoes and he really latched onto that as motivating reward that may make him feel good and want to get "off his butt" more.

Essentially, I wanted to assess the A1c as only PART of his goals and figure out what motivates him for diet and exercise, then bring it all together to counsel that they are all small baby steps toward investing in long-term health and what it prevents and saves him money (b/c he was worried about insulin costs if he needed more). At the end he provided very kind feedback to me that he appreciated that I asked questions and listened to him rather than just talked AT him. This was nice to hear for me but always a little sad b/c this means the patient is accustomed to not being heard. This guy needed someone on his team, not just an authority figure who told him what to do.

Many thanks to Chris for using her excellent clinical knowledge to share timely clinical information on Facebook.

Fun facts! Chris also holds a degree in Classic and Near Eastern Archaeology and Latin.

Here is what Chris had to share about her advice and experience with Aspen RxHealth.

1. What approach do you use in contacting patients? Do you set up appointments?: Honestly, I just fill up my queue to the max number & dial, dial, dial. I will set up appts when needed and take notes in my calendar for a patient-preferred time for a call back. As the week goes by I may accumulate call backs, but I've found these are not always successful; I find it is best to do the encounter right away if there is any ambivalence. Sometimes I employ small talk to engage the patient and figure what interests them, and they may relent.
2. How do you prepare yourself in completing a high quality MTM, such as Motivational Interviewing, CE programs, certifications?: I had some great training at my College of Pharmacy, which is known for it's MTM history and pharmaceutical care implementation in its curriculum. Additionally, I had some great internships, rotations, and purposefully sought out opportunities with patients within the retail and hospital world. I previously had an MTM job that did even more comprehensive med reviews with regular follow-ups for some patients. Furthermore, I have been working my way through Bruce Berger's MI CE program, which has been a huge boon to my practice. I have also recently started studying for the BCMTMS which I plan to take next spring.
3. What advice do you have for a new Aspen RxHealth Pharmacist?: Be persistent and patient. Ask good questions. Read up on what pharmaceutical care is (Strand and Cipolle being one of the best early resources and developers). Be sure to keep yourself up to date on the "top 10" conditions' treatment guidelines. A subscription to Pharmacist's Letter is worth it in my opinion because every month their newsletter has great clinical updates including new drugs to market, changes to guidelines/dosing/indications/etc. It's easy to get sucked into the day-to-day practice, but patients see things on TV or hear from friends about the same stuff but often with fewer resources to understand how individuals may be affected. I often read the newsletter and take the CE quizzes between encounters while dialing!
4. What tools do you use in providing excellent patient care before and during a consult?: I have a digital notebook (Microsoft OneNote) that I keep basic information for Aspen stuff in (ph#s, websites, etc) in, as well as a slow accumulation of clinical pearls organized in sections (CV, DM, AC, etc) -- really reminders to myself if something comes up that has specific details to the guideline. I don't waste my time trying to remember tiny details; I spend my time on the big picture, heavy-hitter items because that is where you will spend most of your practice. I also keep open a tab on my laptop for DailyMed, a FREE website with most drug monographs. I also use the free version of Epocrates for the drug-interaction checker. Other frequented websites include financial resources for drug assistance such as Extra Help program from CMS/SSA or the Beers List if I can't remember max doses or ADRs of a specific drug.
5. What advice can you provide other pharmacists that are navigating throughout the Aspen RxHealth app, when making clinical decisions?: Keep in mind who your audience is -- your patient populations may be all over the country and no two patients are the same. Listen to your as much as your encounter permits and act on/respond to what THEY are saying and what THEIR needs are first. No patient will care about starting a statin if their ADH to all their meds is low because of instability of finances, housing, or mental health. Act accordingly and with specificity to your patient. The app is a TOOL and should not dictate your clinical judgement. Keep the big picture in mind: why was this patient identified? What would improve their health outcomes? Is your recommendation for the right patient at the right time? It is our job as pharmacists to employ our skills in a way that breeds success for that patient.

Steven Brent Ash - November Spotlight

Congratulations to Steven Brent Ash who is our Featured Pharmacist for November! Brent is a Missouri-based pharmacist who joined the Aspen RxHealth community in April 2021. Since then, he has completed 729 CMRs and 29 TMRs and maintains a star rating of 4.8! Brent is one of our lead Core pharmacists and also functions as a mentor to several new pharmacists each month. Brent attends almost every daily huddle for the Core team, except the rare times he is on vacation of course! Brent's wife is also a pharmacist and she has recently joined the community, too. The community team greatly appreciates Brent's involvement, enthusiasm, and natural role as a leader and a helper. Thank you for all that you do, and for sharing your responses to our Feature Pharmacist questions so others can find inspiration and guidance.

1. What approach do you use in contacting patients? Do you set up appointments?

When a patient tells me they are busy I immediately offer to schedule an appointment.  I will often suggest that I call them back within a 2 hour time frame and this usually works for me.   I also select my patients on my iPhone while I am making calls on my iPad.  I find this makes me more efficient because I have little to no downtime between groups of patients.   I also leave our office phone number when leaving a voicemail.  

2. What advice do you have for a new Aspen RxHealth Pharmacist?

The best advice I can give to a new Aspen Pharmacist is to call efficiently.  Use your iPhone to select patients while using an iPad with a keyboard to make the actual calls from.  The more efficient you work the more patients you will reach and help. Do not be afraid of the autodialer, it is your friend. I also recommend speaking with confidence.  The patients can tell if you're unsure of yourself.  So study the scripts very closely and become very familiar with them before starting.  Speak with a very clear voice and speak loudly.   Some patients you encounter will have hearing difficulties and it’s embarrassing for them to tell someone they can not hear.

3. What advice can you provide other pharmacists that are navigating throughout the Aspen RxHealth app, when making clinical decisions?

Do not be afraid to tell a patient you are going to pause for a moment and check a reference.  Taking the time to give accurate information is crucial To the job.  Guessing when you are unsure of something could harm the patient and that is the opposite of what we are here for.   Clinical pharmacology is a great reference for checking dosing and drug interactions for anything I am not sure about.  It’s very easy to navigate.  I also recommend spending some familiarizing yourself with this platform before you make calls.  

Wendi Jones - October Spotlight

Congratulations to our October Featured Pharmacist, Wendi Jones! Dr. Jones is a North Carolina-based pharmacist. She joined Aspen in January 2021 and has completed almost 700 CMRs to date! Many of you may recognize Wendi from her helpful recommendations on Facebook, attendance in huddles, participation in the Core huddles, and motivational support to our mentees. The quality team recognizes her solid work interviewing patients about their medications and her excellent counseling skill. Fun facts! Wendi is a working Mom, loves BBQ, and is a beekeeper!

1. What approach do you use in contacting patients? Do you set up appointments? I take a moment to picture the patient in my mind, such as female or male, older or young, retired or working. When the phone answers I make certain to smile and sit up or stand. I say “good morning” or “good afternoon” state my name and that I’m a pharmacist and then ask to speak with the person. When the person is on the phone, I ask how they are and listen before going on with the script. Sometimes when I do this the patient is not in a good place. For instance, one time I called a patient when she was preparing to go to a funeral. I immediately apologized and said I would call back at a later time. Not everyone is ready for a review.
   
   

2. How do you prepare yourself in completing a high-quality MTM, such as Motivational Interviewing, CE programs, certifications? I did the PowerPak CE on MTM which had a great review of the major disease states. I also did Bruce Berger’s Motivational Interviewing CE. I found that his CE not only impacted how I speak with my patients, but it also improved the relationship I have with my adult teenage son. I highly recommend it!
   
   

3. What advice do you have for a new Aspen RxHealth Pharmacist? Just jump in. You will make mistakes and that’s okay. Just be yourself. Most of the patients are very forgiving. After you do a few consults you will do great! For those patients who are not having a good day, are grouchy, or rude, just be kind. You don’t know what’s been going on in their lives. Often, we call people who are tired, in pain, or lonely. With the pandemic, some people haven’t been out in public in months. Put on some thick skin, if they complain to you or are upset, listen. They may be talking to you, but they are not really talking about When people feel out of control, they try to take back that control any way they can. Sometimes listening is all that’s necessary. If a patient does upset you, end the call as politely as possible and then leave your desk, get some fresh air and clear your mind before you go on to the next patient. We provide better care when we remember to take care of ourselves.
   
   

4. What tools do you use in providing excellent patient care before and during a consult? I work on my iPad with a wireless keyboard and headset. I often stand while waiting for someone to answer, that way I maintain some energy for the conversation. I keep my laptop next to me with Epocrates Online up as well as the Do Not Crush list of medications. If there’s a drug or disease state I’m not familiar with I can look it up while talking on the phone.

Billie Minton - September Spotlight

Congratulations to our September Featured Pharmacist, Dr. Billie Minton! Billie is a pharmacist who is based in Tennessee, and she has been providing medication counseling and disease management to adults and children for almost 30 years. She has been with Aspen RxHealth since July 2021. She has achieved several high-quality reviews and is known for asking open-ended questions and providing a very positive tone in her consultations. Dr. Minton is a member of our Core Pharmacist group, and she has completed 347 CMRs to date with an average APC of 12.7. Today she is sharing her perspective on her success in her answers to the questions below. Congratulations again!

Note: If you have any questions that you would like us to add to our bank of questions that we pose to Feature Pharmacists, please send us an email at pharmacists@aspenrxhealth.com

1. What approach do you use in contacting patients? Do you set up appointments?  
   If a patient does not have time to talk to you, make an appointment by asking them for the best time to call back. Confirm to the patient that they have this appointment with you, and ask them to have their medicines gathered at that time. I use the dialer assistant to make my calls. I always leave a message if there is an opportunity to do that. Some patients will answer the phone when you call back within 20 minutes or more. Make sure to sound like a caring human rather than a robot when you leave a message or interact with a patient and/or family member. Consider the time with a patient as an opportunity to help make a positive impact on their life rather than just your job. The patient should feel embraced by the sound of your voice. Active listening is of utmost importance too.
   
   
2. How do you prepare yourself in completing a high-quality MTM, such as Motivational Interviewing, CE programs, certifications?
   I make sure the patient can hear professionalism and happiness in my voice. I frequently ask open-ended questions such as; “How are you feeling today? What health concerns do you have?  Tell me more about the things that have inspired you to take an active role in your health?” I have additional certificates in both diabetes and asthma. I stay current with continuing education. I also keep my resources handy while talking to the patient.
   
   
3. What advice do you have for a new Aspen RxHealth Pharmacist?
   The “Analyze” button is your friend because it saves your work!  Set goals every day. I aim for eight to ten consults per day. If I do not reach my consult goal that day, I usually end up with appointments made for other days from making so many calls. I focus on making 100 or more calls per day. If you get a patient on the phone that seems grumpy, continue to be kind and they will usually turn around and become more friendly during the consult. Ask the patient if they would like for you to be the one that calls the next year. Tell the patient that you desire that professional relationship with them and their family. Kindness is the key!  Ask your peers questions and expect to learn something new every day. Do not be a loner, build relationships every day with your colleagues. Get involved with the Aspen team. Email the Aspen support team when you need them. They are so kind and quick to resolve any questions. Request a mentor in order to get a quicker understanding of your new career and the Aspen way. Take care of yourself; eat healthily, exercise, get plenty of rest, and stay hydrated. Your work performance will only be as good as your health!
   
   
4. What tools do you use in providing excellent patient care before and during a consult?
   An exultant work environment is paramount to me.  My office is a place that makes me feel happy and inspired in order to provide quality consults. My office is painted in my favorite color combination and has a large window to let in sunshine. Sitting too much is uncomfortable and not healthy so I have a Trek desk with a treadmill under it so I can walk while working. I have the Aspen app on an iPad Air which is attached to a Magic keyboard. I have a MacBook Pro laptop to quickly look things up, and to keep track of my calls and completed CMRs in Word documents. I have an iPhone Pro with the Epocrates app as another resource. I made a custom Aspen notebook from my training with tabs to use as another quick resource. I have a pad of paper handy to scribble notes on.
   
   
5. What advice can you provide other pharmacists that are navigating throughout the Aspen RxHealth app, when making clinical decisions?
   Stay clinically focused because every consult is patient-specific. Do not be shy about going back to a previous section of the Aspen app while counseling a patient. The Aspen app is very user-friendly. 

Janene Cornish - August Spotlight

Our Feature Pharmacist for August is Janene Cornish. Congratulations Janene!

Janene has been providing services for Aspen RxHealth since May of this year. In that time, she has maintained a 5-star rating. Janene was unanimously nominated by the selection committee for the inspirational care that she provides to patients and her excellent communication skills. Her positive perspective, empathy, and active listening are important attributes that contribute to her success. Always interested in self-improvement, Janene is also currently taking Dr. Bruce Berger’s CE program on Motivational Interviewing. Congratulations Dr. Cornish and thank you for sharing your advice in your responses below!

What approach do you use in contacting patients? Do you set up appointments?

• Mindset: When reaching out to our patients, I try to meet their “scam call skepticism” with a warm, yet confident smile, an understanding tone of voice, and true empathy. I ask myself before each call:

  • How did the patient’s caller ID announce me (i.e. unavailable name/number vs. Humana)?

  • What activity might I be interrupting (mealtime/nap/nursing visit)?

  • How can I quickly convey who I am, how important this phone call is, and how much I want to partner with this patient for the benefit of their health?

  • I honestly ask about their well-being and listen for their response. If they say, “Awful!” taking those extra moments to ask probing questions and determine if they need urgent care can gain their trust and cooperation.

  • Often people don’t want to know how much you know...they just want to know that you care!

• Autodial vs. Manual Dial: I use the auto-dialer religiously. If the patient has a properly identified voicemail (first and last name), I will leave a phone number and call back on the first call just in case they are screening their telephone calls. I don’t leave more than 10 voicemail messages at a time so that I have room in the queue for additional calls to freely move in and out of the call rotation as I wait for the 30 minutes - 1 hour to pass for me to redial those patients back that I have left VM messages for. If no response on the second call back, I remove them from the queue and move on. I replenish the queue with 24 more!

• Appointments: I rarely set up appointments. If a patient requests a callback, I have an appointment book handy to schedule appointments in 30-minute blocks.

How do you prepare yourself in completing a high-quality MTM, such as Motivational Interviewing, CE programs, certifications?

• I would definitely recommend taking Dr. Bruce Berger’s Motivational Interviewing Course which is offered at a significant discount as one of our Aspen Rx Health Pharmacist perks.

• Consider completing an MTM certification course via APhA or PowerPak CE. There is also a board certification for MTM pharmacy now through NBMTM (National Board of Medication Therapy Management, Inc.)

• Personally, I complete my BCACP (Board Certified Ambulatory Care Pharmacist) professional development continuing education requirements as outlined by ASHP, additional CE through PowerPak, Medscape CME Alert for PharmD’s for new clinical updates, guideline changes, and expert consensus as our field is rapidly evolving.

• I subscribe to pharmacy and medical journals to keep up with updates as well.

What advice do you have for a new Aspen RxHealth Pharmacist?

• a. Develop a Winning Strategy:

  • Set realistic goals (# calls/# consults per day) and plan to supersede your goal daily.

  • Set working hours and break times (bums get sore, you need H2O)

  • Make plans to update your patient contact approach.

  • Don’t give up...Make one more phone call (yes, make another phone call!)

    • Some days while making calls you feel like you have the Midas touch, other days, you wonder if you have a functioning internet connection!! No matter what keep pushing toward your goals!

• Two amazing quotes that I have posted in my office space that I have found helpful are:

  • “Stop overthinking, it leads to negativity, just think positive and be positive!” -- Author Unknown

  • “A negative thinker sees difficulties in every opportunity. A positive thinker sees an opportunity in every difficulty.” --Author Unknown

• Don’t allow the negatives to frustrate you.  It can be extremely challenging to “cold-call” people but, trust me, the first life-threatening drug-drug interaction or therapeutic duplication you intercept will be worth every hang-up, curse-out, or nasty attitude you have had to deal with prior to that save! 

What tools do you use in providing excellent patient care before and during a consult?

• I’m definitely a mix of the old and new school! I have a ton of pens, highlighters, and I use a “Steno Book.” I maintain an Aspen Rx Health 3-ring binder that has all of our clinical handouts laminated and alphabetized.  I also have the Aspen Rx Health website up on my Chromebox PC, along with Epocrates, Up-to-Date, Medscape Drug-Drug Interaction Checker, and the Herbal Medicine Compendium. I use the Medicare.gov part D website for patient resources for coverage of expensive medications in the donut hole. https://www.medicare.gov/drug-coverage-part-d/costs-for-medicare-drug-coverage/costs-in-the-coverage-gap 

• My Steno Book is an invaluable resource.  It has 24 rows which correspond to our maximum number of consults in the queue.  I quickly write down consult ID’s and the initials of the patients in the event that I need to contact support for a language consult or for any other issue (i.e. I accidentally deleted them and need to have them returned to the queue). I also write quick notes about DDI’s or other notes during the call, doctor’s names, or other information.  For patient privacy. I keep these documents in a lockbox in my office even though they have no identifiable personal health information.

Nicole McCrumb - July Spotlight

Our Feature Pharmacist for July is Nicole McCrumb. Congratulations Nicole!

Nicole has been an independent contractor with Aspen RxHealth since January of 2021. She has completed over 400 CMRs and made over 12,000 calls. Our quality team would like to commend Nicole for consistently meeting our high-quality standards. Additionally, we appreciate her participation in several daily huddles and her posts in the Facebook group because they are a good way to help others in the community who may have the same questions. We are hopeful that Nicole's responses to our questions below are helpful to you as well. Congratulations again, Nicole, and thanks for being in the ARH Community!

What approach do you use in contacting patients? Do you set up appointments?

When reaching out to a patient, I always try to leave a voicemail on the first attempt. I have found many people screen their calls, and patients will often pick up on the second call attempt. I try to wait at least 30-60 minutes before calling back. After 2-3 failed call attempts, I drop the consult ID to make room in my queue for more patients. 

Many of the patients we speak with are elderly. I make sure to speak loud, clear, and slow. It is also important to have a positive attitude and sound confident in the service we offer. When I speak with a patient, I try to complete the review right away instead of scheduling an appointment. I stress the importance of the review and lead into the review by stating, “I see you haven’t had a chance to complete the review yet this year. Should we get started so we can mark it as completed”? 

If a patient is unable to complete a review right away, I always try to set up an appointment. I make appointments for a time frame (such as 12 pm-1 pm) instead of a specific time. This allows me to continue calling other patients right up until the appointment time. I keep an appointment book. I record the time, time zone, consult ID number, and patient initials for all of my appointments. When I call back for a scheduled appointment, I make sure to call at least three times about 15 minutes apart. 

What tools do you use in providing excellent patient care before and during a consult?

I work in my office with my iPad, wireless keyboard, and wireless headset. I also keep my laptop on and ready to look anything up during a consult. I bookmark pages I commonly use for reviews (such as Micromedex and do not crush chew list). I keep a notepad and pencil for taking notes during a review. 

I have a bulletin board behind my workstation where I have information posted for quick reference (for example, a list of required clinical checks, disease state talking points, indication list, and a chart of nutrients depleted from common medications). 

I have prior experience as an MTM pharmacist and have completed PowerPak MTM certification. I strive to continually improve. This year I plan to complete the Motivational Interviewing course. Within the next few years, I plan to become a Board Certified Medication Therapy Management Specialist.

What advice do you have for a new Aspen RxHealth Pharmacist?

Try not to spend a lot of time working up a patient prior to making a call. We never know which patients will answer the phone when we reach out to them. I use the dial assist and move directly from one call to the next. It may seem intimidating at first not to prep a patient before calling. But, it will waste less time and increase your efficiency. If there is a medication I’m not very familiar with, or a patient asks a question I don’t know, I ask them to hold for a moment while I double-check. 

Try setting daily and weekly goals for yourself. At the start of each week, I plan out the hours I will be working. This helps me when scheduling appointments. I write my goals down and make sure they are measurable and attainable. My usual goals are 8-10 CMRs per day, and I aim for 200 calls each day.

The most important thing is, don’t get discouraged if you have a tough day.  Some days will be easier than others. The more calls you make, the more efficient and confident you will become with completing CMRs. Many of the patients we speak with have never completed a review before and therefore don’t understand the benefits. I explain that the service is an important check-up of their medications to ensure everything is safe and working well. Remember, we are part of their healthcare team, and our goal is to improve patient outcomes.

Sarah Bozeman - June Spotlight

Congratulations to Sarah Bozeman who is our Featured Pharmacist for June! Sarah has been an active provider with Aspen since 2019. In that time, she has delivered over 600 CMRs! Her net conversion score is a solid 84%, which indicates that she is using the opt-out and decline buttons at an appropriate level compared to the number of completes that she submits. She frequently gets high marks on CMR reviews and does a great job in the patient education section especially. We are looking forward to hearing Sarah's responses to our standard Feature Pharmacist questions.


What approach do you use in contacting patients? Do you set appointments? Do you use the dial assist?

First, I try to set a goal number of CMRs for the day and I commit to not stopping until I get them. Some weeks are better than others, and every day is different. Be sure to set reasonable goals, but don’t be afraid to stretch beyond your comfort zone. Because I live in East Texas and have most of my life, I take into consideration my accent and pick patients accordingly. Know thyself - make it easier for you. Generally, I do not use the dialing assistant. I do utilize appointments. As soon as they say call me back… I put it in my appointment book and write down the name, ID number, and time zone. You may accidentally delete an appointment, but if you have the name and ID number ask support to put it back into your queue for you.

What tools do you use before and during a consult?

Along with others, I am old school and use a 9½ x 5¾ notebook to log people I call. For two reasons: 1) it keeps me from recalling a contact too soon and 2) this helps me see at a glance how many calls I’ve made. I number 1-10 down the side, skip two lines, and 1-10 again, and a line down the center of the page. Write 10, 20, 30, 40, etc. under each column (40/page). I write the last name only and a time beside the first one on each column, mark ‘left VM’ with a star, calls not connected with an X. Makes it very easy to quickly visually tell how many calls I’ve made. A notebook is very handy, especially when patients start giving you their OTCs at lightning speed and you don’t want to interrupt them. I use my iPhone and a wireless keyboard – GAME CHANGER!!! Makes work so much easier. I highly recommend it!

What advice do you have for newbies?

- Do not get attached to a consult. She may sound just like your granny on VM, but if she doesn’t answer the phone after two tries, she goes back into the pool. There are literally thousands of people to call.
- Give yourself time to get good and get better. We learn from our experience and get better and better the more we work.
- Every no is one step closer to a yes! And DO NOT get discouraged just because one day is bad. One day I only got 5 CMRs and the very next day I made fewer calls and got 14! I just never know what the day holds until I put in the work, but I do know for sure that hard work pays off – every time!
- What we do is not difficult, but it takes someone really special to have the patience, perseverance, and persistence to be successful. Be your biggest cheerleader! Surround yourself with positivity. Write positive messages on sticky notes. I guarantee if you have “I’m Awesome!” and “Today is going to be great!” running in the background of your mind negativity won’t affect you. You’ll just say NEXT! Self-belief and hard work will always earn you success!

Robert McMahon - May Spotlight

Our Featured Pharmacist for May is Robert McMahon! Congratulations! Robert is a Florida-based pharmacist who has been delivering services with Aspen since the summer of 2019, which was just a few weeks after we launched the app. Since that time, Robert has completed 984 CMRs! That's right -- he should be completing his 1,000th CMR this month! In 2021 alone, Robert has made 2,102 calls with 292 completed CMRs. For every 7 calls that he makes, he gets a completion. Many of us here at Aspen had the pleasure of meeting him at our meet and greets (pre-Covid) and we know he has a calm and friendly demeanor. This is one reason why his star rating from patients is right around perfect.

We are hoping to learn more about how he plans and works his calling hours, any advice he has on convincing patients to participate in the CMR, and anything about pharmacy in general that he would like to share. Here are his responses to our questions!

What tools do you use in providing excellent patient care before and during a consult?

I work at my desk in my home office and primarily use an iPad with a wireless keyboard and earphones with a built-in mic. Additionally, in case I need it, I have my laptop ready with computer tabs opened to Medscape, Epocrates and Google. Prior to any new patient call, I quickly review their medication list and use the icon next to any medication that I need to review.

In an old-school pharmacist way, I keep a spiral notebook and log all my patient calls. I record the date, time and outcome of the call (be that a voicemail, hang-up, no answer, appointment scheduled, etc), as well as any personal notations. I also try to be vigilant of the time of day at the patient’s location.

How do you prepare yourself in completing a high quality MTM, such as Motivational Interviewing, CE programs, certifications?

Before joining Aspen RxHealth in the summer of 2019, I knew I needed to brush up on the latest in pharmacy news and trends. I joined FreeCE.com and instead of just getting my required 30 continuing education credits for license renewal, I continued for 80-90 credits. This was so that I could be up to date on the most common diseases in Medicare patients. Specifically diabetes, HTN and CHF, respiratory diseases, depression/mood issues, and pain management.

I myself am a Medicare patient with CHF so my interest in this was extremely high. This fact also makes it pretty easy for me to relate and empathize with many of our patients during a CMR. I was fortunate enough to be in one of the original groups to take Bruce Berger’s motivational interviewing course back in 2019. Building a rapport with a patient and helping them understand their condition really helps feel like I am making a difference.

I have also been fortunate enough to meet, listen to and learn from David, Brad, Kim, Felice, Ailey and all the team that started this incredible company from a simple idea. I will be forever grateful to everyone at Aspen for this amazing opportunity. I hope to be able to continue my work here for many years to come.

What approach do you use in contacting patients? Do you set up appointments?

The first year Aspen opportunities for me were only in Florida. In 2020, the pool expanded to some other East Coast and Midwestern states. I was very comfortable and also familiar with many of these areas. When Aspen further expanded to go national earlier this year, I was a bit intimidated to venture too far from the areas most familiar to me. Recently, I forced myself out of my comfort zone and was pleasantly surprised by my success in some of the western states, such as Montana, California and Utah. Don’t be afraid to try something new!

As far as appointments go, yes, I do make them whenever possible. My success rate is probably in the 60-70% range with appointments, still pretty good but sometimes disappointing.

Some days and some patients are great and others can be quite challenging. It is important to just keep going and don’t give up. Each day is a brand new opportunity to make a difference and each week is a fresh start.

O'Rita Siddall - February Spotlight

O'Rita is a Texas-based pharmacist who has been with Aspen for just over a year. In that time, she has developed a close working relationship with our community team, which started with her participation in one of our focus groups. O'Rita always does a great job of putting patients' needs first. She selectively notifies if she feels a patient needs the health plan to do a follow-up call to provide additional support for customer service issues, mail-order problems, mental health support, etc. O'Rita also demonstrates concern for correct documentation in the app and reaches out for clarification if needed. We are so grateful to have her serving steadfastly in the community!