Clinical Pharmacology & Biopharmaceutics
Open Access

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the current knowledge of consumers and physicians about pharmacist training/expertise and capacity to provide primary care medication management services in a shared resource network; determine factors that will facilitate/limit pharmacists as a member of community-based â�?�?health care team;â�? determine factors that will facilitate/limit pharmacists integration in primary care teams; determine factors that will facilitate/limit payer reimbursement for medication management services. Methods: Qualitative research methods; focus groups were conducted with primary care physicians and consumers, while semistructured discussions were conducted with a public and private payer. Results: Consumers viewed pharmacists in traditional dispensing roles and were unaware of the direct patient care responsibilities of pharmacists as part of community-based health teams. Physicians noted several chronic disease states where clinically-trained pharmacists could collaborate as health care team members yet had uncertainties about integrating pharmacists into their practice workflow and payment sources for pharmacist services. Payers were interested in having credentialed pharmacists provide medication management services if the services improved quality of patient care and/or prevented adverse drug events, and the services cost neutral. Conclusions: Pharmacists must disseminate the existing body of evidence on pharmacists as direct patient care providers of medication management services and the related impact on clinical outcomes, patient safety, and cost savings to external audiences.

Biography

Marie Smith, Palmer Professor and Assistant Dean, Univeristy of Connrecticut School of Pharmacy, is a nationally-recognized Scholar in the area of primary care practice transformation and health policy. She completed a sabbatical at the CMS Innovation Center in 2013 and has facilitated the Practice Transformation Taskforce with the CT Healthcare Innovation Office. She is a frequent Invited Speaker for international, national, and regional conferences; she has published landmark articles on the role of pharmacists in medical homes and accountable care organizations in Health Affairs (premier health policy journal) and serves on the AHRQ Study Section for Healthcare Quality and Safety.

Email: marie.smith@uconn.edu