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In this episode, Dr. Ben Long, Director of Hospital Medicine at Magnolia Regional Health Center and Weston Blakeslee, VP of Clinical Intelligence at DrFirst, break down a critical industry starting point - the reality that one in five new prescriptions is never filled and half of all refills are eventually abandoned. Sharing the results of their peer-reviewed study published in PLOS Digital Health, Dr. Long and Weston offer a grounded blueprint for how resource-constrained community health systems can conquer chronic heart failure readmissions.

The core theme of the conversation underscores an industry-wide shift from reactive, episodic care silos toward a proactive, connected population health management. While automated SMS nudges provide real-time cost transparency and essential medication education, the ultimate force multiplier lies in pairing those digital touchpoints with frontline, nursing-led care navigation. By connecting digital prescribing insights with real-world human validation, this "trust-first" design bridges the gaps between discharge and the home medicine cabinet. Take a listen. 

Ben Long, MD, is Director of Hospital Medicine at Magnolia Regional Health Center in Corinth, Mississippi. Dr. Long is board certified in Internal Medicine and holds the roles of Associate Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of Quality and Safety Curriculum. He earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from University of Mississippi Medical Center and completed his internship and residency at Medical University of South Carolina. Magnolia Regional Health Center has honored Dr. Long with the following awards: Quality Physician Award (2022), Safety Award (2023), and Change Agent of the Year Award (2024).

Weston Blakeslee, Ph.D., is VP of Commercial Excellence & Enablement at DrFirst, where he leads initiatives that measure the value of the company’s solutions through improvements in clinician productivity and clinical outcomes. He oversees strategy for electronic health record partners, hospitals and health systems, and medication access organizations. He also designs and publishes peer-reviewed clinical studies that document improvements in clinical quality for DrFirst clients.

Before joining DrFirst, Wes served as Chief Clinical Officer of RxRevu/Arrive Health, where he led clinical product strategy. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Campus. He brings 17 years of experience in life sciences and healthcare technology, with a focus on evidence-based medicine, clinical decision support, health economics and outcomes research.