CASE STUDY
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BUILT ON A MISSION OF ‘PATIENTS FIRST’
Founded in 1942, Lewis Drug has been a trusted, family-owned neighborhood pharmacy for over
80 years. Today, the company has 60 locations throughout South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa,
offering traditional pharmacy services to the surrounding communities. Many of their stores also
support assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and other long-term care providers.
With a mission of putting patients first, Lewis Drug has a corporate team of experienced
pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who provide guidance and support to each store. “We aim
to give our pharmacists-in-charge the autonomy to run their stores in a way that meets the needs
of their communities,” says Vice President of Professional Services for Lewis Drug, Jessica Strobl,
PharmD. “Our goal is to take some of the day-to-day details of operating a pharmacy off their plates
so they can focus on their patients.” That includes everything from establishing companywide safety
protocols to staying on top of Medicare best practices and benchmarking requirements.
Lewis Drug knew accreditation would deliver incredible value in terms of operational efficiency,
improving patient outcomes, and employee satisfaction. The challenge, Strobl says, is that the
corporate team is relatively small. “The thought of putting all the pieces together for accreditation
and keeping up with annual updates, especially where Medicare billing is concerned, is a bit
overwhelming on top of our day-to-day responsibilities.”
That’s why in 2018, they turned to The Compliance Team (TCT).
LEWIS DRUG’S ACCREDITATION JOURNEY
Working with pharmacies and healthcare providers nationwide, The Compliance Team is known
for its industry-leading accreditation model. As a first step, Lewis Drug worked toward earning
TCT’s Community Pharmacy Accreditation program, which includes DMEPOS (Durable Medical
Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies) Part B. As an approved program by the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), DMEPOS Part B accreditation was particularly important to
the pharmacy. “I’d say there might have been a time when we considered not offering Medicare B
billing because of the complexity,” says Strobl. “It can be a lot of extra work for low reimbursement
rates.” Yet, not providing that service simply didn’t fit in with their
philosophy of putting patients first. Added to that, she continues, Medicare
B audits are pretty standard and require a lot of documentation. “Before
working with The Compliance Team and earning accreditation, we
ACCREDITATION PUTS THE
SPOTLIGHT ON QUALITY
IMPROVEMENT
Jessica Strobl, PharmD
Vice President of
Professional Services
~ Lewis Drug
Improving Your Business Through Accreditation
“
In the end, what TCT
does for Lewis Drug,”
says Strobl, “is help
us put a spotlight on
quality improvement.
That’s exactly what I’m
looking for. That’s what
it’s all about for us.”
CASE STUDY
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struggled with gathering all the information we needed on a consistent basis.” This made audits
stressful. TCT helped the team create a standardized process for every Medicare Part B fill. Now,
pharmacists use a simple form to capture all the details needed in the event of an audit and have
patients sign off on it. “Having a partner, like The Compliance Team, who knows the nuances inside
and out, who can break things down and explain it to you in plain language, is invaluable.”
Since then, Lewis Drug has added Long-Term Care Accreditation at various locations to support
their partnerships with the local facilities they serve. This is in addition to TCT’s TelePharmacy
Accreditation, explicitly designed to help pharmacies expand their reach in remote communities
within state-specific regulations. Lewis Drug has earned TCT’s Exemplary Provider® status through
these accreditations, demonstrating their commitment to quality and safety. “For us, being an
Exemplary Provider means we’re delivering the most consistent and highest quality services
possible,” explains Strobl.
REAPING THE REWARDS OF PHARMACY ACCREDITATION
Accreditation certainly does take time and effort, but Strobl believes that not being accredited and
trying to weed through standards and policies alone would be even more time-consuming. That’s
why she feels having TCT’s compliance requirements written in a clear, straightforward way has
been immeasurable for Lewis Drug’s small corporate team. “Knowing we can rely on their expertise
means a lot to our pharmacists because they can concentrate on doing what they do best, taking
care of their customers.” And it shows. Strobl says patients feel very comfortable coming into
a Lewis Drug because they know pharmacists are always available to answer questions. “Our
pharmacies are just getting busier and busier, and I think it’s because of the level of service our
pharmacists provide – partly due to the efficiencies accreditation has afforded us.” Strobl says
accreditation has also added a lot of value for the pharmacy where payers and State Boards of
Pharmacy are concerned. “They know that as an accredited provider, we are already meeting many
of their guidelines — and that we’re operating on a proven set of policies and best practices.”
“In the end, what TCT does for Lewis Drug,” says Strobl, “is help us put a spotlight on quality
improvement. That’s exactly what I’m looking for. That’s what it’s all about for us.” She points to
Medicare as an example, which requires that pharmacies document patient complaints. “The
Compliance Team has helped us develop a process for gathering the information as required –
through their patient satisfaction tool — but they’ve also shown us how to use the feedback as an
asset to uncover opportunities to do better.”
Strobl adds that TCT also encourages the pharmacy to push the envelope with its quality
improvement goals. “They dig deeper into where we are and where we want to be – even comparing
quality improvement goals year after year to make sure we’re building on them.” She says this helps
the pharmacy keep moving forward and stay true to its innovative nature.
A FOOLPROOF METHOD TO PROCESS IMPROVEMENT
TCT’s programs are designed to provide third-party validation of processes based on operations-
driven standards, adapted to the unique aspects of each organization’s business model. Standards
are written to be easy to understand – with the objective of establishing consistency of services,
processes, and quality across all of Lewis Drug’s pharmacies. This is combined with TCT’s expert
implementation guidance. Together, TCT’s model and its accreditation process help pharmacies
streamline operations and improve patient and staff satisfaction.
When starting an accreditation process, TCT gives pharmacies access to
a dedicated portal that provides checklists and details the standards to
be met. “We usually start with a self-assessment to determine what we
need to focus on,” says Strobl. To help them do this, TCT offers a series
“
For us, being an
Exemplary Provider
means we’re delivering
the most consistent
and highest quality
services possible.”
“
Not only has
Accreditation
resulted in better
consistency across
our 60 locations, but
it has made us more
self-aware of the
things we needed to
be accountable to.”
Jessica Strobl, PharmD
Vice President of
Professional Services
~ Lewis Drug
Mr. William Ladwig, RPh
Senior Vice President,
Professional Services
~ Lewis Drug
CASE STUDY
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of tools and learning opportunities, such as accreditation webinars. Lewis Drug also has access to
a dedicated accreditation expert so they can ask questions and get additional support. “Working
closely with The Compliance Team throughout, we’re able to identify what we’re doing well and
where we might be able to make process improvements – and map out a plan to make it happen.”
Once policies and procedures are in place, TCT conducts unannounced on-site visits to ensure
Lewis Drug pharmacies adhere to all the accreditation standards. “That might be something as
simple as making sure all appropriate signage is posted or that our staff have been recently trained
on how to use fire extinguishers,” explains Strobl. “But The Compliance Team also confirms that
policies needed for certain services are being followed and we are always compliant.” Pharmacy
staff even enjoy the site visits, she adds. “Every store is very proud of how they operate and serve
the community, and they look forward to showing The Compliance Team what they are doing.”
Lewis Drug maintains the standards and processes through periodic reviews with appropriate staff.
This helps the pharmacy keep up with policy changes and updates where needed. Employees at
every store are required to review policies annually as well to ensure they are always up-to-speed.
“The Compliance Team’s approach gives us a foolproof way of ensuring we are operating up to all
the appropriate standards,” Strobl explains.
A LOOK TOWARDS PHARMACY GROWTH AND
PATIENT SATISFACTION
Lewis Drug has expressed an interest in attaining additional accreditations and certifications from
The Compliance Team. “We’re in the process right now of determining how other TCT programs
fit into the pharmacy of the future – not only to our operation but pharmacy services in general,”
explains Strobl.
This look ahead is one of the aspects the pharmacy appreciates most about TCT. “One of the
reasons we chose The Compliance Team is because we felt they had very similar core values to us,”
she says. “They are truly interested in helping us deliver the very best pharmacy services we can,
and that adds a lot of value for our customers.”
“
The Compliance
Team’s approach
gives us a foolproof
way of ensuring we
are operating up to
all the appropriate
standards.”
Jessica Strobl, PharmD
Vice President of
Professional Services
~ Lewis Drug
Benefits of
Accreditation
At-a-Glance
3rd Party Validation
of Processes
Improved Operational
Efficiency
Consistent Quality
of Services
Improved Patient Outcomes
Increased Employee
Satisfaction
Medicare Compliance
“In the end, what TCT does for Lewis Drug is
help us put a spotlight on quality improvement.
That’s exactly what I’m looking for. That’s what
it’s all about for us.”
— Jessica Strobl, PharmD and VP of Professional
Services at Lewis Family Drug - 60 locations
accredited for Community Pharmacy/DMEPOS
Be an Exemplary
Provider®.
Choose TCT.
Because every patient deserves
Exemplary Care.
TheComplianceTeam.org
215-654-9110
Go beyond ordinary.
Be exemplary.