Drug Topics - October 13, 2008 - (Page 10s)

10s DRUG TOPICS Oct. 13, 2008 www.drugtopics.com questions and give them information that they didn’t even know they needed.” Expanding the Asheville project Pharmacists in Asheville are still managing patients with diabetes (as well as asthma and other chronic conditions), but the idea has spread well beyond North Carolina. The APhA Foundation’s Diabetes Ten City Challenge (DTCC) launched pharmacybased management programs for more than 100 privatesector employers in 10 cities. Locations include Charleston, S.C.; Chicago; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Cumberland, Md.; Honolulu; Milwaukee, Wis.; northwest Georgia; Pittsburgh; Los Angeles; and Tampa, Fla. First-year financial results are still being compiled, Fera said. Clinical measures, including A1c, LDL cholesterol, blood pressure, influenza vaccination rates, eye exam rates, and foot exam rates all improved. At the end of the first year, 97.5 percent of patients reported being satisfied or very satisfied with diabetes care provided by pharmacists. DTCC is being rolled out nationally as HealthMapRx. The program is pitched as a turnkey solution for employers using local pharmacy networks to monitor and coach employees to self-manage diabetes under physician supervision. One of the key elements is a patient self-management credential, the first diabetes credential for patients rather than providers or educators. Working toward a credential motivates and empowers patients, Fera said. One of the most successful implementations is the Lancaster Pharmacists for Improved Health Outcomes (LPIHO), a growing network of about a dozen indepen- dent pharmacies around Lancaster, Pa. LPIHO pharmacists see patients monthly for six months and quarterly thereafter. Employers saved about $5,800 per patient during the first year of operation and are on track for similar savings during the second year, LPIHO network coordinator Michele Brown said. “We are seeing higher drug use and better compliance,” she said. “We’re getting patients to see their physicians more frequently, so the medical community is extremely sup- tionately affected by diabetes. Links to patient materials will appear on Rx inserts, at Walgreens.com, and through other communication channels, Pierre-Louis said. “Bottom line, we want the patient with diabetes to have a better quality of life and avoid some of the complications by helping improve their selfmanagement skills,” he said. Pharmacist associations add support At least one state group, the North Dakota Pharmacists Association (NDPhA), has also jumped into diabetes patient education. In August the North Dakota Pharmacy Service Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of NDPhA, launched medication therapy management for state employees, retirees, and other beneficiaries with diabetes. The program is based on the Asheville initiative, NDPha executive vice president Michael Schwab said. It grew out of pharmacy-sponsored legislation in 2007 that opens disease-state management to non-physician providers. Claims data show about 2,100 state beneficiaries with diabetes, according to pharmacist Tom Albers, vice president of sales and marketing for Medication Management Systems, the Minneapolis firm administering the North Dakota program. He expects to enroll about 800 patients by the end of the year and expand in 2009. “This is about delivering pharmaceutical care at the highest level,” Albers said. “You’re not responding to an event with a script, you are coordinating care for the patient and all of the involved providers. It is a significant opportunity for pharmacy.” It is also a significant opportunity for revenue. The average Minnesota Medicaid claim for pharmacy consultation is $92.50, Albers said. portive. Because patients are taking better care of themselves, total cost of care is down and productivity is up, so employers love it.” Chain-store programs Walgreens launched a quarterly diabetes newsletter earlier this year. The e-mail newsletter builds on its online Diabetes Center, an online health-corner video show, and a print magazine, Diabetes & You. “We could never offer too much information on diabetes,” Jude Pierre-Louis, Walgreen’s director of diabetes services, said. “Avoiding complications requires the right knowledge, tools, and support.” Support for the chain programs is coming from the Joslin Diabetes Center at Harvard Medical School. Joslin and Walgreens are creating training programs, continuing education, and support tools for pharmacists. The alliance also plans patient education programs with handouts and tips tailored to the elderly and ethnic groups dispropor- Photo Courtesy: LPIHO Network http://www.drugtopics.com http://www.Walgreens.com

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Drug Topics - October 13, 2008 Contents Latebreakers Letters Kansas Pharmacists Partner with Law Enforcement to Fight Meth Use Pharmacy Board to Oversee Med Distribution at West Virginia Free Clinics Rx Care JP�at Large Celebrating Community Special Report Self-Care Government and Law Newer Treatment Option for Type 2 Diabetes New Products Advertisers Index Technology Classified Viewpoint:�Pharmacists Must Change our Ways

Drug Topics - October 13, 2008

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