Students as catalysts to increase community pharmacy-led direct patient care services.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the impact on community pharmacy service development of a faculty-student-pharmacist collaborative program offered by five U.S. colleges. SETTING: Colleges of pharmacy and community pharmacies in Arizona, Illinois, Ohio, Utah, and West Virginia. PRACTICE DESCRIPTION: Partner for Promotion (PFP) is an elective, longitudinal advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) focused on enhancement of community pharmacy management skills, specifically the development and implementation of direct patient care services. This faculty-student-pharmacist collaborative model has been implemented in five U.S. colleges of pharmacy beyond the originating institution. EVALUATION: Data on pharmacy demographics and the impact of PFP on service creation and longevity at these partnering schools were reported via annual online surveys completed by faculty directors at each partnering college of pharmacy. RESULTS: Over a 3-year period, 19 pharmacy teams across five states worked to create a total of 15 direct patient care services, 12 of which were still being offered to patients at the time of data collection (80% longevity). The PFP program guided 38 students through the process of developing and implementing a sustainable service at a community pharmacy. All participating faculty from partnering colleges of pharmacy (100%) indicated that PFP model materials were "very useful" (4-point Likert scale; 1, not useful, to 4, very useful), and all five colleges plan to continue offering the program moving forward. CONCLUSION: The PFP model of training and service development can have a positive impact on the pharmacy profession, serve as an avenue for training students in the development of clinical services, and be a catalyst for establishing the growth of community pharmacy as a patient-centered, service-oriented partner in the health care system.

Team-based approach to addressing simvastatin safety concerns.

OBJECTIVE: To describe acceptance of systematic and organized pharmacist interventions to address simvastatin safety concerns. SETTING: University of Utah Redwood Health Center and Pharmacy, June 2011 to February 2012. PRACTICE DESCRIPTION: Redwood Health Center is an outpatient multispecialty clinic associated with University of Utah Health Care with approximately 85,000 annual visits between primary care and specialty practices. In addition to filling approximately 175,000 prescriptions per year, pharmacists provide disease management and education under collaborative practice agreements. PRACTICE INNOVATION: All patients identified as being treated outside the revised simvastatin labeling were included (n = 158). After pharmacist review, recommendations were made to providers via the electronic medical record to promote adherence with the June 2011 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety guidelines. In addition to recommendations regarding the FDA guidelines (n = 76), additional recommendations were made to optimize treatment based on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol goal or laboratory evaluation (n = 25). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Acceptance rate of recommendations and resources needed to provide pharmacist interventions. RESULTS: Recommendations were accepted 92% of the time without modification and 7% of the time with modification. Total pharmacist time to conduct the interventions was 21.5 hours, and 3.9 hours of technician time were spent contacting patients. CONCLUSION: Targeted pharmacist interventions were effective in promoting adherence with this complex medication safety alert. A standardized, comprehensive approach to patient assessment, including use of evidence to support pharmacist recommendations, resulted in a high level of acceptance by prescribers.

The Impact of Leadership Program Formatting on Perceived Development Within Pharmacy Cohorts.

Objective. To assess the impact of variable leadership development program formats on perceived participant growth.Methods. In 2020, the Phi Lambda Sigma national office began offering national Leader Academies to members, while University of South Florida Health Taneja College of Pharmacy simultaneously offered a Leader Academy program to its Phi Lambda Sigma students. Both programs used virtual leadership development tools from GiANT Worldwide, but differed in meeting frequency, content focus, and participant diversity. A 17-question pre- and postsurvey was developed from the Emotional Intelligence Leadership Inventory. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to compare the cohorts.Results. Twenty-two respondents in the national cohort (66.7% response rate) and 15 in the single-institution cohort (100% response rate) were included. There was more diversity in age, ethnicity, and previous education in the national cohort. Significant improvements in perceived growth were noted in almost all areas. The only decrease noted was the national cohort response to "I strive to improve myself." The overall change in mean response values was generally higher for the single-institution cohort. Qualitative data supported these results and showed more notable references to emotional intelligence in the national cohorts (∼50%) as compared to the single-institution cohort (<25%).Conclusion. Study results suggest that participation in a longitudinal leadership development program, regardless of cohort format, leads to perceived participant improvement in three categories. However, perceived benefit within each of these categories may vary depending on the cohort. Future studies are needed to further evaluate specific leadership arenas and validate the leadership assessment tool.

Outcomes Associated with Pharmacist-Led Diabetes Collaborative Drug Therapy Management in a Medicaid Population.

OBJECTIVES: Pharmacist-led diabetes collaborative drug therapy management (CDTM) has been shown to improve outcomes. Whether such programs are effective specifically in Medicaid patients, who face barriers to access and self-management, has not been well characterized. This pilot study explores glycemic control, utilization and costs associated with pharmacist-led CDTM in a small population of Medicaid patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: A pre-post, historical cohort study was conducted of patients with T2DM and Medicaid coverage who received pharmacist-led CDTM in community-based primary clinics between 2008-2012. Outcomes included change in HbA1c, healthcare costs and utilization. RESULTS: This study included 79 Medicaid patients with T2DM who received pharmacist-led CDTM. A subset of 46 patients with Medicaid coverage through an affiliated Medicaid Plan, Healthy U, was identified for additional analysis. At 6-months follow-up, HbA1c was a mean (SD) of 2.0% (2.0) lower than the baseline of 10.3% (1.7). Primary care clinic encounters increased by a mean (median) of 3.4 (2) visits. Per patient health system charges increased by a mean (median) of $4,392 ($620) and the amount paid by Medicaid in the Healthy U subset was $822 ($68) higher in the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: A pharmacist-led diabetes CDTM intervention was associated with improved glycemic control in Medicaid patients, which corresponded with a higher number of primary care visits and observed costs. These findings are consistent with studies not limited to Medicaid, suggesting that CDTM can be effective in type 2 diabetes patients with Medicaid coverage.