Pharmacy practice model improves drug access, care transition for HF patients

Implementing a pharmacy practice model consisting of an integrated four-member team (three pharmacists and one specialty technician) leads to better medication access and improved education among heart failure (HF) patients, reports a study. The model also allows for transition of care (ToC) at multiple points in the care process, resulting in enhanced medication safety.

Study authors prospectively obtained data in 2020 for 284 admissions involving a high-risk cohort of patients with advanced HF/transplant and a similar cohort seen in an ambulatory HF clinic.

The participants received interventions such as medication reconciliation, e-prescribing, consultation, and telephone call backs daily to ensure medication access on discharge, a comprehensive medication education on a continuum, and better ToC as outpatients. The authors then quantified metrics specific to these interventions and revenue reflecting outpatient prescription volume.

Of the patients, 275 (97 percent) received standardized discharge medication education. All 51 patients newly transplanted or receiving a left ventricular assist device had medication access on discharge and received follow-up teleconsultation within 48 hours.

ToC was undertaken upon admission (97 percent), preoperatively (n=51, 100 percent), postoperatively (n=51, 100 percent), and on discharge (97 percent). Notably, a 42-percent increase was seen in outpatient prescription volume, with net revenue increasing by 157 percent.

“Collaboration between pharmacists and technicians working in inpatient, outpatient and, specialty pharmacy settings is encouraged to provide complementary care to high-risk patients,” the authors said.