See how ARDEM structured a managed pharmacy administration workflow around approximately 7,000 monthly faxes, 24/7 inbound demand, six patient and medication workflow types, predictable midweek peaks, and a 30-45 minute turnaround objective.
MANAGED HOSPICE PHARMACY ADMINISTRATION CASE STUDY
Creating Control Across ~7,000 Monthly Healthcare Faxes Through a Managed Pharmacy Administration Workflow
~7,000/mo
Healthcare faxes
24/7
Inbound demand
6
Workflow types
30-45 min
Target turnaround
Overview
A hospice pharmacy services provider was managing continuous patient and medication administration work through a shared fax and email queue. Volume peaked Tuesday through Thursday and one intake stream fed six distinct process paths.
The Challenge
The workload included patient admits, discharges, cost adjustments, medication sheets, medication reviews, and related pharmacy administration requests, each requiring different handling.
The existing processing cycle was approximately 1-2 hours, while the client wanted a 30-45 minute target. The case documents this as a service objective, not a verified post-engagement achievement.
The ARDEM Solution
ARDEM created a managed pharmacy administration workflow with centralized queue ownership, workflow classification, documented routing rules, patient updates, medication review, cost adjustment handling, exception support, trained coverage, backups, named escalation paths, and daily quality/performance reporting.
The operating model was designed around variable 24/7 demand rather than fixed individual roles, helping reduce dependence on person-specific workflow knowledge.
Managed Workflow Diagram
The Results
ARDEM helped turn a pharmacy administration scope of approximately 7,000 monthly faxes, additional emailed inputs, 24/7 arrival patterns, and six workflow categories into a more structured operating model with centralized intake, documented routing, trained coverage, backup support, escalation, and performance visibility. The case establishes a desired turnaround target of 30-45 minutes compared with an existing 1-2 hour cycle, but it does not provide a verified post-engagement achievement rate.
Download the Full
Pharmacy Administration Workflow
Case Study
Pharmacy Administration Workflow
Case Study
For healthcare operations leaders, pharmacy services executives, shared-services teams, COOs, and finance or operations leaders evaluating high-volume healthcare administration support.
"*" indicates required fields
Why ARDEM
Faxed and emailed inputs entered one operating lane for prioritization.
Six patient and medication work types were classified before processing.
Updates followed documented process paths rather than individual memory.
The model accounted for 24/7 intake and heavier Tuesday-through-Thursday volume.
Primary analysts, backup resources, project ownership, and named escalation contacts supported continuity.
Quality and performance reporting created a recurring review mechanism.
The ~7,000 Monthly Faxes Were Only the Visible Problem
The Larger Risk Was One Shared Queue Feeding Six Workflows Without Consistent Routing and Ownership
The client did not have one uniform task. Patient admits, discharges, medication reviews, medication sheets, cost adjustments, and related requests all entered through the same intake stream.
Round-the-clock demand and midweek peaks made person-dependent process knowledge more fragile, especially when service expectations were faster than the existing 1-2 hour cycle.
Adding processors would increase capacity, but without queue ownership, routing logic, backups, escalation, and performance expectations, the operating problem would remain.
ARDEM created a managed pharmacy administration workflow around one shared queue, six documented process paths, patient and medication updates, cost adjustments, exception support, flexible coverage, backup resources, named escalation, and daily performance reporting. The 30-45 minute turnaround is a documented target, not a verified achieved result.
1
Queue Ownership
Managed faxed and emailed inputs through one operating queue.
2
Workflow Routing
Classified admits, discharges, cost adjustments, medication sheets, reviews, and related requests.
3
Patient Updates
Completed required patient-information and status changes.
4
Medication and Cost Work
Handled medication review, revisions, and cost adjustments.
5
Exception and Backup Support
Used supporting information, backups, and escalation when standard processing stalled.
6
Performance Control
Worked against defined turnaround expectations with daily quality/performance reporting.
What You’ll See in the Full PDF
The full case study explains:
- How one shared intake queue was organized across six workflow types
- Why 24/7 demand and Tuesday-through-Thursday peaks required flexible coverage
- How patient, medication, and cost-adjustment work was routed into defined paths
- How backup resources and escalation reduced dependence on individual process knowledge
- How daily quality and performance reporting supported measurable service management
- Why the 30-45 minute figure should be presented as a target rather than a verified result
Managing High-Volume Healthcare Administration Through One Shared Queue?
Download the case study to see how a managed operating model can strengthen intake control, workflow routing, backup coverage, escalation, and service visibility across variable demand.