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RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: Hemodialysis (HD) patients have complicated disease states, placing them at higher risk for medication-related problems, medication discrepancies, and nonadherence. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of a clinical pharmacist in a single HD facility by assessing the efficacy of medication reconciliation in HD patients and evaluating the potential impact on a single health care system. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: Greenfield Health Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Henry Ford Health System, operates 14 HD facilities throughout Southeast Michigan. The West Pavilion facility is located in Detroit, MI. Patients with end-stage kidney disease included in the study had a minimum of 4 encounters with the clinical pharmacist or pharmacy interns between August 2017 and October 2018. EXPOSURE: A clinical pharmacist performed medication reconciliation and medication reviews with HD patients to assess medication-related problems and identify gaps in care. Interventions made by the pharmacist were prespecified through a collaborative practice agreement. OUTCOMES: To evaluate the impact of a clinical pharmacist in an HD facility by assessing the efficacy of medication reconciliation in HD patients and evaluating the potential impact on this health system through an estimated cost avoidance. ANALYTICAL APPROACH: Descriptive statistics were used to collect medication-related problems and classified based on a modified Hepler-Strand approach. RESULTS: There were 1,403 medication-related problems, with an average of 8.96 medication-related problems per patient. Adherence was the most common medication-related problem (31%). Antihypertensive medication was the most common drug class in which the pharmacist intervened (37%), followed by vitamin D analogues and calcimimetics (29%). A projected total of US $447,355 was saved. LIMITATIONS: Retrospective analysis of observational data and descriptive statistics with the potential for residual bias and confounding. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacists in HD facilities have a positive influence on HD patients through medication management that results in cost savings.
RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To compare the estimated cost avoidance (ECA) of pharmacist-provided medication therapy management (MTM) services among common disease states encountered in community pharmacy practice. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis. SETTING: Nine community pharmacies in North Carolina. PATIENTS: Three hundred and sixty-four patients who are 65 years of age or older, a Medicare Part D beneficiary and a North Carolina resident. INTERVENTIONS: An MTM pharmacist-provider conducted medication reviews to eligible patients between July 2009 and October 2009. For each encounter, patient interventions, pharmacist recommendations, and ECA were recorded. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: ECA. RESULTS: In 9 pharmacy locations, 634 MTM interventions were documented during the study period. The ECA in a 4-month period yielded approximately $494 000. Comprehensive medication reviews, new prescription counseling and appropriate medication administration, and technique counseling made up nearly two-thirds of interventions. Overall, the probability that an MTM intervention would result in an ECA greater than $0 was .35. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacist-provided MTM effectively reduced costs associated with patient medication use. Such interventions reduced costs in overall health care specifically in the areas of cardiovascular, gastroesophageal reflux disease, pulmonary, and diabetes groups.