Med Sync: More Than a Scheduling Tool

The magic pill for dispensing efficiency that meets performance metrics for payers to ensure predictable revenue for your pharmacy.

by Christine Cline-Dahlman, B.F.A., C.Ph.T.-Adv.

DO YOU REALIZE THAT MEDICATION synchronization (med sync) has been around since the 1990s? I first heard of med sync 13 years ago when I worked in an academic hospital with access to health-related courses, which I took. One topic I learned about was patient follow-through after hospital discharge. This care, which we know today as transitions of care, even then referenced medication synchronization as a resource for patient adherence. My point? Med sync has been around for a while, but it is time to see it through the updated lens.

Med sync’s beginnings are discussed in an August 2015 article in the Journal of Managed Care + Specialty Pharmacy (JMCP), “Impact of Appointment-Based Medication Synchronization on Existing Users of Chronic Medications.” It reported that “the earliest” known implementation of a medication synchronization program, specifically an Appointment-Based Medication Synchronization (ABMS) model, began in 1995 by California pharmacist John Sykora. This program aimed to “standardize medication dispensing schedules to improve medication management and (patient) adherence.”

Whenever I mention synchronization, then ask a pharmacy team member to describe it, the answer is always, “Fills are scheduled so a patient gets all their meds on the same day each month.” Synchronization has been viewed simply as a workflow task to offer a convenience to patients. I have experienced it as far more than a rote task for dispensing. Med sync today is a blend of two elements: dispensing workflow partnered with a clinical mindset. These two elements represent business operations and clinical patient care, both of which can be practiced by every pharmacy team member.

TECHNICIANS’ ROLE IN MED SYNC