GTMRx News Brief Archive

Practice Transformation Team-based care begins with the patient In a Pharmacy Times interview, Michael S. Barr, MD, MBA, MACP, FRCP, Executive Physician Advisor, GTMRx Institute, discussed the importance of collaboration among physicians, other clinicians and pharmacists in delivering comprehensive medication management. “It starts with the person needing the care…[and] includes understanding that well organized team-based care is the best way to approach patient needs, especially those who have challenging situations or complex clinical conditions.” Such an approach begins with each member acknowledging their respective…

Practice Transformation Underappreciated CMM is the missing ingredient to value-based models Comprehensive medication management is the missing ingredient in value-based models, but despite evidence supporting its effectiveness and value, it remains underappreciated and underused, a group of GTMRx leaders write in Health Affairs Forefront. They highlight the evidence for CMM, including how it supports all five elements of the Quintuple Aim—including the newest aim, equity. Their a call to action: Align on the standardized definition of CMM “to promote well-defined CMM…

Practice Transformation Amazon to shutter Amazon Care Say “goodbye” to Amazon Care. The virtual and in-home health service, initially created for Amazon employees will be gone by the end of 2022. Amazon Care currently has six corporate customers including Hilton, Silicon Labs and Amazon-owned Whole Foods. Workers were told the service was shutting down because those customers did not see the value in the service, the Washington Post reports. Modern Healthcare notes that the decision comes just weeks after the company said it would…

Practice Transformation To improve population health, invest in primary care Investing in primary care is the key to improving population health and reducing disparities, according to the authors of a Health Affairs Forefront post. ”Strengthening primary care benefits everyone by improving overall health and lowering health care costs. By improving how the health care system connects with patients, generalists and specialists can support the patients who need them most, when they need them the most. This will make our health care system…

Practice Transformation Texas NAMI head: End nonmedical switching Health insurers and PBMs are making the current mental health crisis through “nonmedical switching”—moving stable patients from their current medication to one that may not work as well for them, writes Greg Hansch, LMSW, of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Texas. “As a result, a patient with a mental health disorder who was stable on his or her current medication may be forced to switch to a different medication regardless of…

Practice Transformation Safety-net providers worry about loss of 340B discounts Hospitals and clinics that serve low-income patients say drug manufacturers have threatened their financial stability by dramatically cutting back participation in the 340B federal discount program. “They are killing health centers,” said Jangus Whitner, who runs the pharmacy program for PrimaryOne Health, a multisite community health center. PhRMA spokesperson Nicole Longo disagrees: “There is very little to no evidence that 340B is helping patients access medicines, and that’s a big…

Practice Transformation NYC to offer Paxlovid, bypassing pharmacies New York City plans to start offering Paxlovid at "mobile test-to-treat sites" across the city, bypassing pharmacies; which is the fist of its kind, Bloomberg reports. Currently, people who test positive for COVID-19 and are eligible for Paxlovid can fill their prescriptions at the nearest pharmacy. Mayor Eric Adams said the service targets inequity in getting Paxlovid, according to Bloomberg. A recent study found that the drug is inaccessible to more than 26 million people…

Practice Transformation Can Oracle create a national EHR database? Just after closing the deal to acquire Cerner, Oracle—or more specifically, board chair and chief technology officer Larry Ellison–said the company would create a national health records database. “We’re building a system where all American citizens’ health records not only exist at the hospital level, but they also are in a unified national health records database.” Health IT experts have been expressing doubts, however, pointing out that for decades, public and private…

Practice Transformation JMCP: Sustaining CMM in the pharmacy setting What is needed to sustain CMM in the community pharmacy setting? HealthPartners shared its insights, based on decades of experience. Among other things, the authors stressed the importance of differentiating CMM from other services and providing support for pharmacies doing CMM. They also discussed the influence payment models have on sustainability. “CMM in community pharmacies shows promise for being a sustainable practice model. However, increased reach and performance of networks, as…

Practice Transformation Telehealth boom opened the door to hybrid models Telehealth is increasingly incorporated in hospitals’ digital roadmaps, according to speakers at the annual HIMSS health care conference. That’s good news for proponents of hybrid care models, who cite the value of meeting patients. The use of hybrid models aligns with the shift to value-based care, Healthcare Dive reports. If providers have a certain amount of funds to take care of a specific population, instead of being paid on a per-visit basis,…

Practice Transformation Tots likely to get COVID vax from docs Most states prohibit pharmacists from vaccinating children under 3. Even where it’s permitted, pharmacies are wrestling with whether to do so. That means physicians — especially pediatricians — will play a large role in the in this phase of the country’s largest-ever vaccination campaign, the Washington Post reports. It notes that across party lines, pediatricians are the most trusted source of vaccine information for parents, which could help overcome vaccine hesitancy. (Washington Post) Study…

Practice Transformation Diabetes care needs to be team-based A multidisciplinary team of health care professionals including physicians, nurses, dietitians and pharmacists can provide comprehensive diabetes care and management for patients, writes Susan Cornell, PharmD, of the Chicago College of Pharmacy at Midwestern University. “Working as a team allows each practitioner to work to the highest level of their license and provides more reward in what they have achieved. The key to success and efficacy of workflow is knowing what each…

Practice Transformation Increased use of generics, biosimilars help control costs Biosimilars and generic drugs may slow drug cost growth in 2022, Modern Healthcare reports. Drug prices only increased 1.9% in 2021, partly due to new biosimilars and generics, according to an American Society of Health-System Pharmacists report. “Biosimilars really took off this year,” Eric Tichy, PharmD, MBA, division chair, supply chain management, at Mayo Clinic, said in a release. “A couple of years ago there was a lot of consternation about the…

Practice Transformation Before prescribing, plan on deprescribing opioids Before prescribing opioids, physicians should—in collaboration with the patient--develop a deprescribing plan, argues Jason Doctor, PhD, of the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics. It would lay out a specific path for reducing, and then eliminating, opioid use. “Properly structured, the plan will give the patient confidence that an opioid prescription may help relieve pain in the short run but will not lead to dependence or addiction in the long…