PATRICK SPACE FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Col. Josh Peter, 45th Medical Group commander, hosted two town hall meetings here addressing the current state of pharmacy operations on Nov. 21.
These town halls offered 45th MDG leadership the opportunity to communicate challenges driving operational changes as well as receive feedback, answer questions and address customer concerns.
At the start of fiscal year 2025 the medical group's contract budget was cut by approx. 35% translating to a loss of over $1 million. These cuts impacted the facility’s ability to maintain the same level of services, resulting in the overall reduction of four pharmacists, two pharmacy technicians and a pediatrician.
"The impact of losing some of our most experienced and dedicated teammates has been profound, and cannot be fully measured nor replaced," Col. Peter said. "As a result, we’ve had to make incredibly difficult decisions and shift prioritization to our most critical services. However, despite these setbacks, we remain unwavering in our commitment to providing safe, high-quality patient care."
The pharmacy’s challenges were further exacerbated by Hurricane Milton which temporarily closed the facility, creating a backlog of prescription refills. Col. Peter explained that at its peak, the pharmacy was behind by over 1,000 prescriptions every day. To manage the situation, temporary assistance was requested from other bases, and pharmacy staff worked long hours, including nights and weekends, to get back on track. However, the shortage of staff led to the decision to suspend phone refill services, causing inconvenience and frustration for patients who could no longer talk to a pharmacist or check prescription status before traveling to the base, a long distance for many.
"Our pharmacy averages about 600 to 800 calls a day and average about six to eight minutes," said Col. Peter. "We came back from the hurricane with over 600 calls in the que but not enough personnel to manage those calls and process prescriptions, leaving us with no choice but to suspend the phones to focus our efforts on processing prescriptions."
In an effort to streamline operations, the pharmacy closed one of its two locations and consolidated services at the satellite pharmacy because it is better equipped to handle the reduced staffing and resources Col. Peter explained. Despite the reduced staff numbers, and the phone lines off the pharmacy is still processing a high volume of prescriptions, ranging from 700 to 1,000 a day.
Volunteers play a critical role, helping to manage the workload. However, Col. Peter noted that volunteers are unable to perform essential tasks such as prescription verification, which is vital for patient safety.
The pharmacy’s operational changes have led to concerns about longer wait times and communication gaps. Col. Peter emphasized that patient safety remains the pharmacy’s top priority, stressing that the department cannot afford to rush the dispensing process, even if it leads to delays.
“We understand that waiting for medications can be frustrating, but we cannot compromise the accuracy and safety of prescriptions,” he said. “Rushing through the process could lead to errors that are far more dangerous.”
The pharmacy has also faced challenges in communicating changes to its services, especially given that it serves over 55,000 patients. The recent consolidation of operations into one location, along with the temporary closure of the main pharmacy, has led to some delays in notifying patients of changes. However, Col Peter assured the community that despite these disruptions, patient safety has not been compromised.
A significant area of concern has been the issues surrounding prescription activation and notification systems. Many patients have experienced confusion with text notifications, which often fail to clarify whether all prescriptions are ready for pickup, particularly when multiple medications are involved. To address these issues, the pharmacy is testing a new app designed to provide more accurate and detailed notifications which is not yet available. Another feature the 45th MDG hopes the app will provide is the ability to allow patients to track the status of their prescriptions, see how many are ready for pickup, and communicate directly with pharmacy staff regarding any missing or unfilled medications.
"With the new app, patients will have clearer communication about their prescriptions, including how many are ready and where to pick them up," said Col. Peter. "This will help reduce confusion and improve the overall experience."
The pharmacy has also been working to address ongoing issues with the MHS GENESIS Patient Portal, which is used by patients to activate prescriptions. Some patients have reported glitches where prescriptions are marked as filled in the portal but are not available at the pharmacy. These issues are being flagged for correction by the MHS GENESIS team. In addition, the pharmacy has received feedback about the inconvenience of using shared phones for prescription activation. In cases where two people share the same phone, prescriptions must be activated on separate days, which can further delay the process.
Col. Peter acknowledged that while improvements to the Genesis portal and activation process are underway, there are limitations to what can be done with the current infrastructure. He remains hopeful that the new app will alleviate some of these challenges and improve the overall patient experience.
Looking forward, the pharmacy is focused on several key areas for improvement. These include expanding the functionality of the new app to enhance prescription tracking and communication, addressing ongoing technical issues with the Genesis portal, and exploring a way to implement an automatic extension of the 14-day prescription restock requirement when non-standard closures occur allowing patients the additional time to pick up ready prescriptions while also reducing the workload on pharmacy staff.
“Despite the ongoing challenges, we are committed to improving the services we provide, and are actively exploring new ways to streamline processes, improve communication and better support our patients,” Col. Peter said. “The budget cuts and staffing shortages have been difficult, but we're doing everything we can to ensure that we continue providing safe, high-quality care."
New or renewed prescriptions can be activated in-person or using the text service at 1-833-464-1562. Refill requests can be made using the MHS GENESIS Patient Portal or by calling the automated system at 321-494-8739.
To sign up for the 45th MDG’s “In The Know” email list to receive updates and information, email your name, DoD identification number, and the email address you would like to enroll with to: dha.patrick.patrick-45th-MDG.mbx.45-mdg-pfpc-patrick@health.mil.