Heartland Pharmacy is a long-term care (LTC) pharmacy serving residents of LTC communities and individual residents requiring long-term pharmacy services, including medication delivery and specialized attention to meds and care. Heartland has been around for 20 years, with the main goal of fostering a family-focused care plan for residents of LTC communities at a low cost.
“The reason Heartland was started was because we wanted to treat residents like family,” says Bretagne Pullens, regional accounts director at Heartland. “Twenty years later, that still rings true.”
Bretagne Pullens
Bretagne has been in the long-term care industry for 12 years, with about 18 years of experience in the pharmaceutical world. She believes what sets Heartland apart from other LTC pharmacies is the unwavering care they provide to every LTC community, ensuring its residents are receiving the most specialized care possible.
What to expect from an LTC pharmacy
When choosing a long-term pharmacy, Bretagne noted five priorities that clients are typically looking for, the first being emergency services. Heartland is available on a 24/7 basis for residents requiring emergency medication or assistance. Other priorities include dependable delivery of accurate medications; customized solutions; and most importantly, a care dedicated team.
Bretagne feels the care teams are at the core of everything Heartland does. “We are huge on building relationships with the teams at our communities,” she says.
Each community is assigned a representative, and each community has direct access to their rep at all times. Skilled nurse consultants and pharmacists conduct individualized medication audits and chart reviews. There’s also a transition team for facilities transitioning to Heartland. The transition team follows an organized timeline to ensure excellent service, with follow-up phone calls to new communities and an emphasis on over-communicating to make sure all questions are answered. Heartland even offers a digital interface for tracking meds and supplies, such as med carts and personal protection equipment (PPE).
Better care at a lower cost
When it comes to lowering costs for residents, Heartland is committed to a process involving billing insurances and finding rebates. Costs of particularly expensive medications are approved before delivery. When pharmacists perform med reviews, they make an effort to ensure a resident’s medications aren’t unnecessary or replicated. “If there is a way to help someone save money and have better care, we will find it,” said Bretagne.
“I compare our services to a hug,” she says. “You’re surrounded by people who care about you and want to help you every step of the way. We focus on the individual and providing service for their specific needs.”
Bretagne Pullens
Always adapting and evolving
Bretagne says Heartland is dedicated to a fluid process of adaption, avoiding a “one size fits all” approach. In addition to valuing feedback from their communities, Bretagne says Heartland is eager to customize according to the needs of a community or resident. “Having a partner in care that can adapt and pivot in a moment’s notice goes a long way,” she says. “We are in an evolving industry and it’s so exciting to be a part of that evolution and a part of the solution.”
Bretagne refers to her job as a “nurturer’s dream,” and says the best part of her job is how valued she feels for having the opportunity to take care of others. “I work for a company with the same values I have as a person,” she says. “It’s love perpetuating love.”
