Download Assessing the impact of implementing pharmacy services in an

Assessing the impact of implementing pharmacy services in an outpatient Heart Failure clinic
A. Oakes, L. Slone, B. Riley; King’s Daughters Medical Center (KDMC), Ashland, Kentucky.
Objective: Heart Failure (HF) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. As such, it
is focused on within the Core Measures set forth by The Joint Commission and Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services. In an effort to improve the health and welfare of the patient
population served in the Tri-State area, King’s Daughters Medical Center sought to implement
pharmacy services within an outpatient clinical setting dedicated to HF patients. The overarching
objective of this study was to determine if a pharmacist’s presence within the clinic was able to
show a decrease in HF-related emergency department visits and re-admissions.
Methods: The study protocol was exempt from IRB approval, as it is seen as a means to improve
patient care. A PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Resident was available in the outpatient clinic two halfdays per week from November 2015 through April 2016, with a five week block of full days in
January/February of 2016. The clinic saw HF patients, lipid patients, and Transition of Care
patients. Transition of Care patients were identified as those who were discharged from a
hospital admission and unable to follow up with primary provider within seven days. HF patients
that were scheduled during these times were seen by the pharmacist for medication reconciliation
and vaccination needs assessment. A prospective chart review was conducted for each scheduled
patient to determine the appropriateness of current therapies, identify problems with medication
adherence, ensure proper monitoring and use of high-risk medications, and to evaluate any
potential or experienced adverse drug events. The pharmacist also served as a resource for drug
information and provider education. The pharmacist worked closely with providers to optimize
each patient’s current therapy. Patient information was recorded and stored within a password
protected computer solely for data collection purposes. Each patient encountered would be
reviewed at the end of the study period to evaluate for HF-related emergency department visits
or re-admissions since their last encounter with the pharmacist as documented in the electronic
medical record.
Results: The patient data will be recorded and analyzed to determine if the availability of
pharmacy services in the clinic was able to make a measurable impact on ED visits and
readmissions.
Conclusion: It is hypothesized that the provision of pharmacy services within an outpatient clinic
will reduce the number of ED visits and re-admissions of patients with Heart Failure.