Conference Coverage
Best Practices: Utilization of Oncology Pharmacists in the VA
Abstract 39: 2015 AVAHO Meeting
Primary care physicians (PCPs) often don’t have the time to manage the complex medication needs of patients with chronic conditions. PCPs working in federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) while caring for low-income at-risk patients also face “particularly large barriers,” according to the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ). But that lack of time can contribute to low patient adherence to medication regimens.
While clinical pharmacists can help, they may not be available to FQHCs, PCP offices, and other primary care settings. To address this, innovators in Ohio established a statewide consortium or “shared learning community” that provides the resources for FQHCs to offer pharmacist-led medication therapy management (MTM) services to patients with diabetes or hypertension. The collaborating organizations include the Ohio Association for Community Health Centers, the Health Services Advisory Group, and 6 Ohio-based colleges of pharmacy.
Related: Best Practices: Utilization of Oncology Pharmacists in the VA
The program developers, Jennifer Rodis, PharmD, BCPS, FAPhA, Assistant Dean for Outreach and Engagement at Ohio State University College of Pharmacy, and Barbara Pryor, MS, RD, LD, manager, Chronic Disease Section, Ohio Department of Health, reported on the consortium’s program and successes in AHRQ’s Health Care Innovations Exchange.
Program leaders meet with participating pharmacists to orient them; those pharmacists then introduce the program to clinicians and staff at their respective practice sites. Every month, the participating pharmacists check in with program leaders from the Ohio Department of Health, the Ohio State University College of Pharmacy, and Ohio Association of Community Health Centers to give status updates and get guidance and troubleshooting advice.
Related: VA Treats Patients’ Impatience With Clinical Pharmacists
The consortium has markedly increased the number of FQHCs offering pharmacist-led MTM services, as well as boosting awareness and interest in MTM. When the program began in 2013, very few of the 41 FQCHs in Ohio had pharmacist-led MTM programs, the AHRQ report says. Nine FQHCs now participate in the consortium.
During the first year, the 3 participating sites enrolled nearly 400 eligible patients with out-of-control hypertension or diabetes. By the end of that year, 68% of hypertensive patients had controlled their blood pressure and 45% of patients with diabetes were controlling their hemoglobin A1c. What’s more, the pharmacists providing MTM addressed 75 adverse drug events and remedied 145 potential events.