New Q&A highlights top factors when considering a long-term care pharmacy partner

According to Melissa Woodward, RN, MS, having a regional pharmacy as a vested partner in patient care makes a critical difference in quality of life for residents.

With 30 years as a registered nurse, Melissa has a wealth of experience working with long-term care pharmacies. She recently sat down with Pamela Bryan Kramer, Forum’s Executive Vice President, to delve into the top factors in choosing a pharmacy partner. Included in the Q&A, available for download here, are tips on what communities should look for in pharmacy staffing, packaging options, EHR integration, and more.

Melissa also discusses how the nationwide staffing crisis influences a facility’s pharmacy choice. She explained “long-term care pharmacy expertise is critical to providing excellent patient care.”

“A pharmacy’s clinical staff is an essential resource to answer questions…even catch oversights that can happen when staffing is stretched in your building,” she added.

To discover specific facility-centric insights and tips, along with what questions to ask when selecting a long-term care pharmacy, download the Q&A.

About Melissa: Geriatrics has been Melissa Woodward’s primary focus throughout her career, having spent nearly 30 years as a registered nurse. For the last eight years, she worked as Vice President of Resident Care at The Arbor Company, a senior living provider. She has also worked in nursing education, health care quality assurance, policy writing, risk management as well as in cardiac step-down and acute rehabilitation. Melissa always returns to caring for seniors as this is where she feels she makes the biggest impact on the lives of others. She is dedicated to providing care and compassion to all of those in her care.

Melissa was awarded a Master of Science in Organization Development from Johns Hopkins University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Health Administration & Policy from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. She also holds an associate degree in Applied Science – Nursing from John Wood Community College.