Yale New Haven Health System officially opened an outpatient pharmacy Tuesday at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital in New London, as part of its effort to better manage patient medications.
The 1,700-square-foot retail pharmacy is located in the hospital’s main lobby, in space formerly occupied by a gift shop. The pharmacy will be open seven days a week and offer medications for discharged patients, those looking to refill prescriptions, for hospital employees and nearby residents.
To staff the pharmacy, L+M added three full-time pharmacists and four pharmacy technicians, a hospital spokeswoman said.
The retail pharmacy is the fourth the health system has opened within its hospitals, with a fifth planned for Bridgeport Hospital. Yale New Haven Health said its retail pharmacies offer full pharmacy services, immunizations and over-the-counter medications.
“By filling medications through Yale New Haven Health, the hospital’s healthcare providers can easily communicate with a patient’s provider through Epic/MyChart, which is the electronic medical record system,” the system said in a news release. “This leads to quicker responses for medication questions, refill requests, prior authorization approvals and questions about financial assistance.”
LeeAnn Miller, vice president of pharmacy services for Yale New Haven Health, said L+M’s facility is a model the health system aims to replicate at its other hospitals.
Dr. Oliver Mayorga, chief medical officer for L+M Healthcare, said the pharmacy will help bridge the gap between inpatient care and patients going home.
L+M said it has provided dedicated parking at the hospital’s main entrance for patients picking up prescriptions, as well as curbside pickup for “non-ambulatory patients” and free delivery services in the local community.
In addition to the pharmacy at L+M, Yale New Haven Health’s other hospital-based sites are located at St. Raphael’s campus of Yale New Haven Hospital; the North Haven Medical Center; Outpatient Pharmacy Services in Hamden, which also provides specialty medications; and the Regional Operations Center in West Haven, which serves home infusion therapy patients’ needs.
