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News brief | January 28, 2020
Practice Transformation CDC: Five 2019 studies with direct impact on clinical practice In a recent paper, The Genomic Medicine Working Group of the National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research of the National Human Genome Research Institute identified the most significant advances in genomic medicine. Of the top 10 papers identified by the working group, the CDC selected those with immediate or near-term impact on clinical practice and public health. Among them: Most BRCA1 and BRCA2 variant carriers are not detected in the population,…
News brief | January 21, 2020
Practice Transformation A CMM primer for docs Last month’s Minnesota Physician offered a primer on comprehensive medication management, summarizing some of the evidence and explaining how CMM expands the primary care interprofessional team. Pharmacists have long been core members of interprofessional teams in hospital settings; now, they are also moving to ambulatory care settings. The article notes that in Minnesota, more than 150 clinics have pharmacists integrated into the care team. The authors discuss the benefits to patient care as well physician wellbeing. (Minnesota…
News brief | January 14, 2020
Practice Transformation VA: A model for drug policy? The VA pharmacy benefit provides a model for reform to address the crisis in prescription drug affordability, according to a paper published in Health Affairs. The VA model involves a combination of regulation, negotiation and a national formulary; this makes it possible for veterans to obtain medicines with low or no copayment. Those who obtain prescription medications from the VA are less likely than other insured Americans to skip doses or delay filling prescriptions…
News brief | January 7, 2020
Practice Transformation New BCBS policy could change how infusions are delivered Effective Jan. 1, BCBS of Tennessee will no longer reimburse providers for some specialty infusion drugs. Instead, it requires providers to get the drugs through a specialty pharmacy in BCBS’ preferred network. According to BCBS, the policy aims to slow the growing cost of specialty drugs. However, some providers say it could cause them to end their infusion services and force patients to find other sites. They say they…
News brief | December 24, 2019
Practice Transformation Clinical pharmacists improve patient satisfaction Patients who received focused attention from pharmacists during hospital stays were more satisfied, according to research presented at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Clinical Meeting. “Our findings add to growing literature demonstrating that pharmacist involvement in hospital discharge improves outcomes and safety,” Katherine L. March, PharmD, BCPS, of Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, said in a prepared statement. “Pharmacists play a multitude of vital roles for patients during a hospital stay, including…
News brief | December 17, 2019
Practice Transformation Increased integration of medical and pharmacy benefits Historically, medical and pharmacy benefits have been siloed. When employers and other organizations design benefit plans, they typically use one company for medical benefits and a different one for pharmacy benefits. As separate entities, they don’t share data or information—creating a disconnect. “As a result, plan sponsors are challenged to ensure that members receive coordinated care and understand the true cost of care,” says Jerry Buller, DPh, MMHC, chief pharmacy officer…
News brief | December 10, 2019
Practice Transformation AI transforming health care Artificial intelligence has started to transform U.S. health care. In hospitals and health systems, AI is already creating operational efficiencies, but it’s relatively simple AI. The potential is so much greater, Healthcare Finance News reports. AI can help improve precision medicine and reduce administrative complexity, lowering the cost of doing business. In this regard, the AI landscape is still evolving. The sophisticated techniques used in cognitive computing are the next frontier for AI in health care.…
News Brief | December 3, 2019
Practice Transformation Humana pushes interoperability, built on FHIR Humana is highlighting its efforts to support data sharing with provider organizations. Humana President and CEO Bruce Broussard told analysts that interoperability is at the core of its corporate strategy. That strategy is built on HL7’s Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard. The FHIR standard enables real-time exchange of data using the latest web standards. It’s part of a larger effort: Humana is looking for ways to better leverage data as the…
News Brief | November 26, 2019
Practice Transformation Moving from the retail counter to the bedside HealthPartners’ decision to close 30 retail pharmacies illustrates a significant change in the pharmacy profession: a move to the clinic. “So, I think going forward we will change to more of a clinical pharmacy focus,” Sarah Derr, executive director of the Minnesota Pharmacists Association, tells Minnesota Public Radio. “We’re really looking at ‘what can the pharmacist provide to the patient?’ and not focusing on the little technical steps of filling…
News Brief | November 19, 2019
Practice Transformation Unstructured notes more predictive than structured data for CAD Real-world evidence drawn from unstructured clinical notes was more accurate than structured data in algorithmic prediction of coronary artery disease, according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. In other words, real-world data contained in unstructured narratives have significant predictive value when trained algorithms mine it. “In order to maintain credibility and advance science, pharma, academia and vendors must not shy away from the…
News Brief | November 12, 2019
Practice Transformation New health care platforms widen health care’s “front door” A recent Harvard Business Review article explored how new platforms will enhance patient care. Lyft and Best Buy’s Geek Squad are among the strange bedfellows delivering care to patients—or delivering patients to care. And, of course, there’s the dramatic upsurge in apps, virtual consults and all the other aspects of telemedicine. “What these trends point to is a dramatic expansion over the coming years of healthcare’s ‘front door’ as the focus…
News Brief | November 5, 2019
Practice Transformation Physicians need more education on treating pain patients Patients legitimately taking pain medications are suffering because of the opioid crisis. A new report—Drug Misuse in America 2019: Physician Perspectives and Diagnostics Insights on the Evolving Drug Crisis—finds that 81% of primary care doctors say they’re hesitant to accept new patients who’ve been prescribed pain meds. Some patients are even being discharged from providers because they are on opioids for chronic pain, and the doctor didn’t want to continue…
News Brief | October 29, 2019
Practice Transformation Know the implementation components of CMM Research identifying the key components of CMM practice implementation has been lacking, until now. A paper published earlier this month in the Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy outlined the 13 essential elements that can be used to guide CMM practice implementation, development and advancement. Among them are leadership support, billing and revenue systems, methods for identifying patients in need of CMM, scheduling CMM services, care documentation, presence and scope…
News Brief | October 22, 2019
Practice Transformation Opioids: HHS calls for a course correction In the haste to address the opioid epidemic, some chronic pain patients have been forced to rapidly taper, or discontinue altogether, their use of the drugs. But abrupt changes to an opiod prescription can be dangerous. So Health and Human Services has issued new guidelines that recommend a deliberate approach to lowering doses for chronic pain patients who have been on long-term opioid therapy. “It must be done slowly and carefully,” says…
News Brief | October 15, 2019
Practice Transformation Possible trends in AI healthcare The healthcare industry could be the next big opportunity for AI (Artificial Intelligence). One forecast has spending jumping from $2.1 billion to $36.1 billion by 2025. Several experts weigh in on potential trends: transition of medicine from reactive to proactive care; consumer access to health information via electronica medical records and wearables; harnessing AI-driven data to predict and avoid adverse events; and more. (Forbes) Walmart pilot to steer employees to vetted docs Walmart is…
News Brief | October 8, 2019
Practice Transformation AACP’s Sorenson has ambitious CMM goal American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, GTMRx Executive Member, President-Elect Todd Sorensen has set an ambitious goal—that 50% of primary care practices will have integrated comprehensive medication management (CMM) into their practice, with pharmacists delivering those services. Academic Pharmacy Now publisher Lucinda L. Maine, PhD, RPh, says it’s more than a pipe dream. However, innovation, including incorporating CMM into practices, “will take action and collaboration with key contributors both in and out of pharmacy…
News Brief | October 1, 2019
Practice Transformation Association for Molecular Pathology: new position statement for pharmacogenomic testing The Association for Molecular Pathology recently published a position statement for pharmacogenomic testing. It includes a list of criteria for laboratories that ensure responsible use, preserve broad access and improve patient care. (statement; announcement) Is empathy a casualty of the current approach to care? What becomes of empathy when physicians are tied to their screens? “The connection between doctor and patient is the foundation of empathy. How can…
News Brief | September 24, 2019
Practice Transformation Futureproofing precision medicine Provider organizations need to think about how to integrate precision medicine into patient care. Dr. Peter Hulick of NorthShore University HealthSystem—an early adopter—joined other experts to discuss the path forward. He stressed the value to patients and physicians of bringing NorthShore’s genomic testing platform into the primary care setting. He also emphasized EHR integration. “The insight of pharmacogenomics and the ability to integrate into clinical care via our EHR platform has proven to be a…
News Brief | September 17, 2019
Practice Transformation Reduce use of high-cost, low-value drugs to save money Pharmacy benefit plan sponsors could lower drug spending and out-of-pocket costs by reducing the use of high-cost, low-value drugs, according to a Commonwealth Fund analysis. Researchers also analyzed prescription drug data from 15 large self-insured employers to identify prescription drugs with high prices that have no proven clinical value over similar drugs with lower prices. They found $63 million in potential annual savings. The conclusion: “Plan sponsors could lower…
News Brief | September 10, 2019
Practice Transformation Training PCPs in precision medicine Direct-to-consumer DNA tests are popular, but primary care physicians lack background in genetics testing technology to address issues related to the tests. Mylynda Massart, MD, of the University of Pittsburgh, is changing that. She’s medical director of UPMC’s new Primary Care Precision Medicine Clinic. The clinic provides education to PCPs and fills the gap in services for patients. She notes that pharmacogenomics is especially important to primary care. “If we can do a…
