John Wurth, Author at Synchrony Pharmacy

From September 20-26^th, National Healthcare Quality Week highlights the shared commitment to delivering safe, coordinated, and high-quality care. In senior living, that means creating an environment where residents can thrive and achieve the best possible outcomes. Achieving those outcomes requires collaboration across the entire care team, including trusted pharmacy partners who help support medication safety, clinical oversight, and quality initiatives.

As communities focus on enhancing resident care, their choice of pharmacy partner plays an essential role in helping drive both better outcomes and greater peace of mind for residents and their families.

One of the most important ways is through safe medication management. Residents often take multiple medications, making accuracy, monitoring, and ongoing review essential. Consultant pharmacist medication reviews help reduce the risk of adverse event, support adherence, and promote better overall health outcomes.

Pharmacies also contribute to quality care through strong collaboration with care teams. When pharmacy teams work closely with nurses, providers, and community leadership, everyone has access to the information and support needed to make informed decisions. This clinical partnership helps identify potential concerns, address medication-related issues, and ensure care plans remain aligned with residents’ needs.

Supporting key quality measures is another important part of a pharmacy’s role. Effective medication management can help with falls prevention, reducing hospital readmissions, supporting chronic disease management, and improving overall resident well-being. These efforts not only contribute to stronger resident outcomes and a better care experience for residents and families, but can also support performance on key quality measures that influence STAR ratings and demonstrate a community’s commitment to high-quality care.

In addition to clinical support, the right pharmacy partner can help improve administrative efficiency. Streamlined medication processes, responsive communication, staff education, and ongoing clinical guidance allow communities to operate more efficiently and spend more time focused on resident care.

Simply put, communities that view their pharmacy as a strategic partner are better positioned to deliver quality care. Through consultant pharmacist services, clinical recommendations, 24/7 pharmacist access, and a collaborative approach, Synchrony Pharmacy helps communities achieve better outcomes every day. Just as importantly, a strong pharmacy partnership helps provide peace of mind for families, giving them confidence that their loved ones’ medications are being managed safely and that they are receiving the attentive, high-quality care they deserve.

As summer winds down, senior living and long-term care communities face a familiar challenge: preparing for the illnesses that often arrive each autumn. Influenza, COVID-19, RSV, and other respiratory illnesses can spread quickly among vulnerable populations, making preparation through vaccinations essential. A proactive approach can help protect resident health, support staff, and minimize disruptions throughout the season.

By taking action against flu season early, communities can reduce risk and create a safer environment for residents, families, and staff. Below are five key steps organizations can take now to strengthen vaccination readiness and infection prevention before the illnesses arise.

1. Review your vaccination strategy before demand peaks.

Vaccination planning should begin before community demand increases. Working with a trusted pharmacy partner can help identify eligible residents, secure vaccine availability, and coordinate administration schedules. Synchrony Pharmacy supports communities through comprehensive vaccine clinics led by experienced nurses and pharmacists. In 2025 alone, Synchrony Pharmacy administered more than 11,000 vaccinations directly to residents and dispensed an additional 28,900 doses for administration by partner communities.

2. Ensure medication profiles are accurate and up to date.

Medication records play a critical role during illness outbreaks and vaccination efforts. Reviewing resident profiles, medication lists, allergies, and health conditions helps support informed clinical decision-making when seasonal illnesses arise.

3. Strengthen infection prevention through clinical collaboration.

Effective infection prevention requires strong collaboration between community and pharmacy teams. Pharmacy partners can help monitor medication availability, provide guidance on treatment considerations, and keep communities informed of evolving clinical recommendations throughout the season.

4. Educate residents, families, and staff.

Education builds confidence and trust. Clear communication about vaccine benefits, infection prevention practices, and seasonal health risks can improve participation in vaccination programs while helping everyone feel more informed and prepared.

5. Conduct a seasonal readiness checkup.

Before the fall arrives, evaluate your community’s processes and preparedness plans. A strong pharmacy partner can help identify gaps, strengthen workflows, and ensure the right resources are in place to support residents throughout the season.

Preparing for the autumn season is all about creating a proactive strategy that protects residents, supports caregivers, and strengthens operational confidence. Communities that begin planning early and partner closely with their pharmacy provider are better positioned to navigate seasonal challenges while maintaining the highest standards of care.

Through onsite vaccine clinics, clinical expertise, and reliable vaccine supply, Synchrony Pharmacy is proud to help senior living communities improve access to immunizations and simplify seasonal vaccination efforts. In addition to administering thousands of vaccines directly through pharmacist- and nurse-led clinics, we also provide vaccine inventory for communities that choose to administer vaccines themselves. This flexible approach helps organizations meet residents where they are, expand protection across their populations, and support healthier outcomes throughout the communities they serve.

Care providers know that survey readiness is shaped long before a survey is scheduled. Many communities naturally shift into a more reactive mode as a survey approaches, focusing on audits, organization, and last-minute checks. While that effort is important, the strongest outcomes are typically driven by consistent practices that are maintained year-round—often with the support of a long-term care pharmacy partner helping keep systems aligned and on track.

Surveyors tend to zero in on a few critical areas related to pharmacy services: documentation accuracy, medication reconciliation, proper storage, and safe, consistent administration. These are foundational elements of quality care, but they can also become pain points when processes aren’t fully aligned. Documentation gaps, delayed entries, or inconsistencies across shifts can create unnecessary risk.

Reliable pharmacy support (and the right pharmacy services and medication management solutions) play a central role in keeping these areas on track. Beyond dispensing, a proactive pharmacy partner helps actively reduce risk through routine medication cart audits that identify issues early and ensure storage, labeling, and organization meet standards. Ongoing medication management support helps flag duplications, interactions, and inappropriate therapies—supporting more accurate documentation and safer care decisions. Oversight of controlled substances adds another layer of accountability, with monitoring processes in place to reduce the likelihood of discrepancies. And through standardized processes and clear communication, pharmacy partners provide professional pharmacy support to help align nursing, leadership, and operations—minimizing variability across shifts and strengthening consistency across the community.

With that kind of structure in place, survey preparation becomes far more manageable. Teams are able to approach surveys with confidence, supported by processes that are already part of their daily routine. Instead of reworking systems or chasing down documentation, they’re reinforcing what’s already working well.

That level of consistency all depends on having the right support in place. Pharmacy partners who stay engaged, offering a range of long-term care and specialty services, make the difference. Synchrony Pharmacy works alongside communities in this way every day as an extension of your team, helping teams stay organized, compliant, and prepared—no matter when a survey takes place.

In senior living communities, nurses and medication aides are responsible for safely administering increasingly complex medication regimens across dozens of residents in a single shift. It’s a responsibility that requires focus, precision, and constant clinical awareness.

In honor of National Nurses Week, we’re taking a closer look at what that responsibility really involves—because every medication pass requires a level of diligence and decision-making that often goes unseen, but plays a critical role in resident safety.

Every medication pass is a high-stakes clinical process.

Medication administration is a layered clinical process that requires nurses to make real-time decisions, often under time constraints.

Each pass includes:

Verifying the six rights: right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, right documentation, and right time.
Assessing for contraindications, allergies, and potential drug interactions.
Monitoring residents for side effects or subtle changes in condition.
Interpreting new or modified physician orders as they come in.
Ensuring accurate documentation and maintaining regulatory compliance.

In many cases, this is happening within the context of polypharmacy, where residents may be taking multiple medications that must be carefully managed together.

Where systems can break down.

Even the most experienced nurses rely on the systems around them to work consistently and clearly. When those systems fall short, the risk of error increases.

Common challenges include:

Transitions of care, where medication lists may change rapidly or lack clarity which can result in unintended omissions, duplications, or improper dosing.
Order communication gaps, leading to delays or misinterpretation
Packaging and labeling inconsistencies, which can increase the likelihood of selection or dosing errors
Medication access delays, especially when therapies are needed quickly

These breakdowns reflect how complex and interconnected medication management truly is.

The role of a clinically integrated pharmacy partner

Supporting nurses means strengthening the systems they depend on. A clinically integrated pharmacy partner plays a key role in reducing risk and improving efficiency.

That support can include:

Prospective regimen review to identify potential issues before they reach the medication cart
Consultant pharmacist oversight to provide ongoing clinical guidance
Standardized packaging and clear labeling to reduce ambiguity during administration
Real-time communication to keep care teams aligned on changes
Reliable medication access to ensure therapies are available when needed

Overall, medication administration is a layered clinical process that depends on precision, awareness, and support. Nurses carry that responsibility with every pass, often while managing complex regimens and rapidly changing orders. When the systems around them are strong—clear communication, consistent labeling, and integrated pharmacy support—those risks are reduced and care becomes more reliable. It isn’t about one role working harder; it’s about the entire system working together to support better outcomes for residents.

March is National Nutrition Month—a time to spotlight the vital role nutrition plays in overall health. In senior care, it’s also a reminder that optimal outcomes happen when pharmacy, nursing, and dining teams work together. After all, medications and meals don’t work in silos. They work together.

As we age, metabolism slows, digestion changes, and the body processes medications differently. Small nutritional shifts—like decreased appetite, dehydration, or changes in vitamin intake—can significantly impact how medications are absorbed and tolerated. In senior living communities, where residents often take multiple medications while managing chronic conditions, these variables matter even more.

Food–drug interactions are one important consideration. Calcium-rich foods can affect the absorption of certain medications. Grapefruit may interfere with how some drugs are metabolized. Vitamin K–rich foods can impact the effectiveness of blood thinners. These aren’t reasons to avoid nutritious foods—but they are reasons for why strong communication between pharmacy and care teams is so vital.

Timing also plays a critical role. Instructions like “take with food” or “on an empty stomach” aren’t minor details. Incorrect timing can reduce effectiveness, cause gastrointestinal discomfort, or lead to adherence challenges. Coordinating medication pass schedules with dining services helps ensure residents receive the full benefit of their therapies.

Simply put, the strongest outcomes happen when pharmacy, nursing, and dining teams collaborate—through medication reviews, care plan discussions, and ongoing education. When everyone understands how nutrition and medications intersect, care becomes more proactive, personalized, and safe.

February is American Heart Month – a timely reminder that heart health in senior living isn’t managed with one-time decisions. It takes steady oversight, close collaboration, and care partners who understand just how quickly residents’ needs can change.

Many older adults rely on medications like antihypertensives, anticoagulants, and diuretics to keep their heart functioning safely. That’s why our pharmacists routinely review these therapies to ensure they continue working as intended. We watch for drug interactions, side effects, duplications, and adherence issues that could impact blood pressure control or heart rhythm stability. When something shifts (such as a new diagnosis, a change in condition, or a therapy adjustment), we flag concerns early and offer timely recommendations.

Of course, it’s no secret that heart-related medication plans are often layered and complicated. That’s why our pharmacists pay special attention to cardiovascular safety. We identify combinations that may increase fall risk, bleeding risk, or complications. For residents on anticoagulants, additional oversight and support to help communities manage these therapies with greater confidence is beneficial.

Quick answers matter, especially when heart medications are involved. Our team responds rapidly to questions from nurses and providers and communicates recommendations clearly and directly. We also play an important role during transitions of care, such as hospital discharges, when medication changes can easily lead to gaps or confusion. Ongoing pharmacist involvement helps the whole care team stay informed about best practices and emerging risks. At Synchrony Pharmacy, we understand that heart health requires vigilance – which is why we’ll always be here to help communities stay one step ahead while keeping residents safer every day.

As a new year begins, senior living communities brace for change. Census fluctuates. Routines shift. But for residents, one thing must remain constant: reliable, uninterrupted access to the medications they depend on – every day of the year.

That’s where strong pharmacy partnerships matter most.

At Synchrony Pharmacy, we believe consistency is the foundation of trust. Reliability creates stability for community teams, residents, and families alike. That stability allows care teams to focus on what matters most: supporting residents’ health and quality of life.

A strong pharmacy partnership is built on a few essential pillars:

Reliable, on-time deliveries help reduce stress for staff and keep daily routines running smoothly.
Around-the-clock support to ensure questions or issues are addressed quickly, preventing disruptions to resident care.
Clear, ongoing communication to prevent delays and errors before they happen.
Custom medication and packaging designed with real workflows in mind – supporting efficiency, accuracy, and ease for care teams.

When we’re guided by these pillars, outcomes become stronger. Streamlined processes help reduce medication errors. Thoughtful packaging and education support adherence to prescribed medication regimens. Seamless coordination during transitions (such as hospital discharges or new move-ins) helps maintain continuity of care. And most of all, families gain peace of mind knowing their loved ones’ medications are managed with precision and accuracy.

As we step into 2026, our commitment to these pillars remains unchanged. Together with our partners, we chart the path forward united by a shared mission: delivering safe, dependable care to every resident, every day.

The holiday season brings a special kind of energy to senior living communities. Families visit, schedules shift, and everyday routines change in subtle ways. For residents, these changes can be overwhelming – which is why having steady, reliable support matters more than ever.

At Synchrony Pharmacy, we understand how important it is to keep medication routines consistent, even when calendars get busy. Our teams work closely with nursing staff to help ensure every resident’s needs are met without interruption. From dependable delivery and routine refills to med cart audits and ongoing communication, we help communities stay ahead of any changes that naturally come with the holidays. When staff know they can rely on their pharmacy partner, they can stay focused on what matters most – spending meaningful time with residents and their families.

This season also brings opportunities to strengthen the connection between pharmacy and care teams. Our partnership approach goes beyond medication management. We provide education, support, and guidance for both staff and residents, helping everyone feel confident and informed during a time that can be both exciting and emotionally complex. Whether it’s adjusting schedules, preparing for family gatherings, or navigating a new diagnosis, having a coordinated, compassionate system in place makes all the difference.

At its core, the best gift we can offer residents during the holidays is consistent, heartfelt care. By leaning on reliable pharmacy partners, communities can ensure that each resident feels safe, supported, and able to fully enjoy the season’s moments – big and small.

As the year comes to a close, we’re grateful for the caregivers who show up day after day with dedication and warmth. Thank you for everything you do to help residents thrive. Synchrony Pharmacy is proud to support you, today and every day.

Synchrony Pharmacy wishes to congratulate Rob Leffler, RPH, BCGP, FASCP, on his new role as President of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists!

An international organization founded in 1969, the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP) is a non-profit association of pharmacists and pharmacies that manage medications for our senior population. Their mission is to promote healthy aging by “empowering pharmacists with education, resources, and innovative opportunities.”

As the new president of ASCP, Rob brings with him visionary leadership, deep expertise in senior care pharmacy, and a passion for building inclusive, purpose-driven communities.

“Rob’s leadership is a reflection of what makes Synchrony Pharmacy special — a commitment to excellence, compassion, and community. His vision for ASCP is bold and inclusive, and we’re proud to stand behind him as he helps shape the future of senior care pharmacy.”— Lance Miller, Synchrony Pharmacy Chief Operating Officer.

Rob’s “Home is Where the Heart Is” leadership plan is already inspiring ASCP members to reimagine engagement, committee structure, and student involvement — and we couldn’t be prouder to support him on this journey.

Here’s to a transformative year ahead!

To learn more about the ASCP, visit their website located here.

Contact us today and start delivering better outcomes tomorrow.

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