The Power of Faith in Healthcare
An old friend of mine recently died. I was deeply saddened at his passing. He was an old-school, no-nonsense, gruff on the outside, marshmallow on the inside community pharmacist.
This friend had also been a bit of a mentor to me. He was one of those people whom you should stop and listen to when they spoke, lest you miss something important.
During one of our, sometimes lengthy, telephone calls years ago, he related this story to me.
“Richard”, he said, “you know my wife’s been battling cancer? Yep, I thought I’d lost her. She was going through chemo, and it just made her so sick. She got weak, couldn’t eat, lost a lot of weight…nothing but skin and bones, couldn’t drink or hold anything down, and on top of that she developed pneumonia. Had to put her in the hospital. They told me she likely wouldn’t come out of the hospital. But she did.
“Had to put her in the nursing home, though. She was still terribly weak and not out of the woods. We were all expecting each breath to be her last. I felt so helpless. I knew there was nothing I could do. But I knew I could pray for her. And I did.
“Every morning at 6:00 I would be at the nursing home, on my knees beside her bed. I’d stay there until it was time to go open the pharmacy, calling on the Almighty to help us through this.
“One morning I felt a tap on the top of my head. Not believing it, I looked up to her face and, with her eyes closed, my wife said, ‘Do you think you could come a little later to pray? I’d like to sleep a while longer.’ Brought her home a few days after that. Been fine ever since.”
Keeping the Faith Matters in Healthcare
My buddy told the truth. He knew about keeping the faith when all seemed lost.
During the height of World War II, Winston Churchill is quoted as saying, “When you’re going through Hell, keep going.” It’s all about perseverance.
Keeping the faith is critical for community pharmacists providing value-based care.
Community Pharmacy practice seems to be going through Hell right now. There are lots of pressures and a host of people with their hand in your pocket who think they know more about serving patients than you. Even if the best they can do is an algorithm at a call center, they think they know better than you. They don’t.
Community Pharmacies must now Deliver Health Equity
A challenging healthcare world forced our practice to venture into the world of CHWs and value-based care. Had we been able to stand behind the pharmacy counter, dispense prescriptions, provide services, and stay profitable, that’s where we’d be.
This unfamiliar “non-fee-for-service” world can be scary. It forces us to step outside our comfort zone and engage other providers in new and unique ways. Come to find out, they’re having the same problems we are, and we can help them.
It takes an initial conversation. It takes persistence and patience. It also takes faith in your abilities along with confidence in your expertise.
The first conversation with another provider or payer likely won’t result in a value-based-care contract. But you’ve started a conversation. Your foot’s in the door. You’re on their radar. You’ve planted a seed. Now your faith and persistence can pay off. Keep going.
Value-based Care Increasing in Importance
This piece has probably less to do with health equity than any other on this blog. Instead, it focuses more on pharmacy practice. I wanted to talk about what it takes to incorporate health equity into practice and what that means.
The world of U.S. healthcare is moving to value-based care and providing that care equitably. Pharmacy can lead that move, as no one is closer to the patient than their pharmacist. It’s not easy. Sometimes it feels like going through Hell. Keep the faith. Keep going.
