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The Pharmacist’s News Source
pharmacypracticenews.com
Volume 38 • Number 9 • September 2011
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in this issue Pharmacists Phone Clinical Home for MTM Service Cardiology Strategy yields care and cost benefits, but challenges remain
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telephone-based medication therapy management (MTM) program directed by pharmacists in Texas successfully lowered drug costs and resolved medical issues for participating Medicare Part D beneficiaries, according to reviews of the program. A sample of 60 Medicare Part D beneficiaries who received a pharmacist-provided telephone MTM consultation through the program, administered by the Scott & White Health Plan, had nearly twice as many medication and health-related problems resolved than did individuals in a control group who did not opt in to the program. Total Part D drug costs decreased by $588 for the intervention group
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see MTM SERVICES, page 42
Pop-up e-Reminders At Point of Care May Boost HCAHPS Scores Louisville, Ky.—A large health system is using bar code–enabled pop-up boxes on computer screens at the point of care to remind more nurses to educate patients about the potential side effects of medication therapy. The strategy, in place at the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), has had a positive effect on how patients perceive the care they receive—an outcome that the health system hopes will translate to improved Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores. That, in turn, can mean higher consumer ratings and, ultimately, more revenue for the hospital, according to Noel C. Hodges, RPh, MBA, division director, HCA Central Atlantic Supply Chain, in Richmond, Va. “HCAHPS is a national survey to standardize
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see HCAHPS, page 38
Strategy slashes readmission rates for stroke.
Hem/Onc Pharmacy PARP inhibitors double progression-free survival in relapsed ovarian cancer.
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Technology Rollouts Increase Efficiency at Christiana System E-prescribing, clinical decision support help ease workflow pressures, improve drug safety
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IVIG FAQ
Infusions may ease Clostridium difficile infections.
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Technology
Social Networking At ASHP Summer Meeting, Twitter birds came home to roost.
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Operations & Mgmt
Practice Pearl Medication disposal dos and don’ts.
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Leadership in Action Knowing when to speak, when to listen and other mentoring “nuggets.”
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Policy
A Christiana Care physician enters her first CPOE orders, with assistance from a go-live support team member.
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he lightning speed of a newly launched computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE) system backed by robust clinical decision support led to a sharp reduction in pharmacy workload at Delaware’s Christiana Care Health System, according to Terri Corbo, PharmD, BCPS, FASHP, vice president of pharmacy services.
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Joint Commission Pilot project underscores pharmacy’s role in discharge MTM.
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Practice Pearl Preparing staff for field surveys.
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Educational Review
Compatibility of Commonly Used Intravenous Drugs insert after page
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see CHRISTIANA CPOE, page 22
Pharmacists and Anesthesiologists Partner To Improve OR Outcomes Denver—By teaming up with pharmacists, anesthesiologists can enhance their capacity to protect patient safety and their hospital’s bottom line. That was the common conclusion of two posters presented at the American Society for Health-System Pharmacists Summer Meeting— one proposing a new tool to track the
use, and waste, of anesthetic agents and another comparing the effectiveness of two popular inhaled anesthetics.
Safety Through Standardization Michael Chappell, RPh, operations supervisor at Methodist Dallas Medical Center,
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see COLLABORATION, page 8
New Product Pfizer Injectables Introduces Heparin Sodium Injection, USP. See page 44.