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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association is participating in an initiative to form a pharmacist care network across Missouri.
NPCA said that the effort with partners Missouri Pharmacy Association (MPA), Missouri Pharmacist Care Network (MO-PCN) and American Health Care (AHC) will give Missouri pharmacists a new opportunity to demonstrate and be paid for their ability to help patients achieve measurable progress in fighting chronic conditions.
Pharmacists in the network, which is being established by AHC, would act as care managers, or "coaches," and meet every one to three months with patients to help them work toward health goals. The pharmacists’ efforts are recorded via a user-friendly, web-based platform, and pharmacists would be compensated for documented cases, according to NCPA.
Chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and lipid management are expected to be among the focal points, although the range of conditions treated will be determined by the employers and/or health plans with which AHC contracts.
"Community pharmacists are highly trained and are overwhelmingly trusted by patients, putting these providers in an ideal position to play a larger role in the U.S. health care system," NCPA chief executive officer B. Douglas Hoey said in a statement. "The opportunity for pharmacists should only grow more substantial as more Americans are expected to gain health care coverage and the primary care shortage becomes more acute. This program offers Missouri pharmacists a prime opportunity to improve patient lives, grow their business and further prove the value that all community pharmacists present to health plans and their sponsors."
NCPA said it’s now accepting applications from community pharmacists who want to be part of the network.
"The support and success of this Missouri disease and wellness management study opportunity is a priority for both MPA and MO-PCN, and we are pleased to be a participant in this effort," commented MPA CEO Ron Fitzwater. "Our state’s community pharmacists are well-positioned to deliver the program’s patient care services, demonstrating to employers and plan sponsors the value that these programs provide to optimize outcomes and manage health care costs."
The groups noted that the program is aimed at enhancing patient well-being and building a body of evidence that pharmacist-led disease management services can improve patient outcomes and lower costs for employers, health plans and accountable care organizations (ACOs).
"We are very excited about our groundbreaking partnership with NCPA," stated Lance Aizen, CEO of AHC. "Our visions for how pharmacy should be practiced and the role of the community pharmacist in caring for patients with diabetes and other chronic conditions are very much aligned. American Health Care is highly confident that employers and their employees in Missouri will be the beneficiaries of significant health improvement, increased productivity and unprecedented medical cost reductions, just as we have seen in other American Health Care published, peer-reviewed outcomes throughout the country."
