Objective: Define the impact of an emergency department Meds to Beds (M2B) program within an integrated health system.
Self-Assessment Question: What percentage of prescriptions are not filled after a patient is discharged from the ED when M2B is not used?
Background/Objective: After ED visits, a significant proportion of prescriptions go unfilled. This program aims to increase fill rates for acute medications and reduce 30-day revisits for infectious diagnoses or acute VTE.
Methods: This multi-center single health system retrospective and prospective cohort study took place from March 2025 through April 2026. Patient satisfaction scores for the ED M2B program were collected from February 2026 through April 2026. Adult patients presenting to the ED diagnosed with an infectious cause or an acute VTE were included. Outcomes for M2B vs non-M2B discharges included claims-based fill compliance, 30-day ED return for the same ICD-10 diagnosis, survey-based satisfaction, and revenue per prescription. De-identified data were shared with Bucknell collaborators supporting a collaborative economic analysis.
Results: From the original data extraction, 849 encounters were screened and 815 included in the primary analysis. Of the 815 included encounters, 35.0% used Meds to Beds, 44.9% filled prescriptions at external pharmacies, and 30.9% did not fill external prescriptions (p <0.0001). Differences in patient race, ethnicity, and hospital location were observed between M2B and external pharmacy groups. Thirty‑day readmission rates were numerically lower with Meds to Beds compared with external pharmacy encounters (6.0% vs 7.9%). Hospital location varied among encounters with and without 30‑day readmission. Among 52 survey respondents, satisfaction with Meds to Beds was uniformly high, and 48.1% reported difficulty obtaining medications without ED dispensing.
Conclusion: An ED Meds to Beds program was associated with similar 30-day readmission rates compared with external pharmacy use, with clinically meaningful trends toward fewer readmissions. High patient satisfaction and reported difficulty obtaining medications without ED dispensing highlight the program’s potential to improve access to care at ED discharge.
