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 across the nation. (Becker’s Hospital Review; Bloomberg)
Satisfaction with EHR varies widely; superusers key
A new report from KLAS Arch Collaborative shows wide disparities between physicians who are happy with their organizations’ EHR systems and those who are not. Organizations that emphasize high-quality patient care in the EHR are reporting more positive clinician EHR experiences. In addition, the report finds that organizations that are successful in improving the EHR experience often leverage EHR superusers. These superusers are key to developing effective EHR education materials and are effective members of EHR governance boards, the survey finds. (HealthLeaders Media)
Capps on bridging the communications gap
Comprehensive medication management starts with health care experts. Too often, however, communication issues arise, GTMRx co-founder and executive director Katherine Capps writes in Pharmacy Times. She outlines the problem and then offers some solutions. Asking the right questions can help bridge communication problems between physicians and pharmacists, and she shares five. Among them: Is this the right medication for the patient? and How will my patient know if the medication is working? (Pharmacy Times)
Evidence & Innovation
HA paper: Make care management available to people with diabetes
Research shows that care management improves type 2 diabetes outcomes—especially when the care management includes pharmacists adjusting medications without prior physician approval. But providing care management to patients with type 2 diabetes takes time, and the service is often unavailable; barriers include primary care workforce shortages and state regulatory barriers, according to a new paper in Health Affairs. “Policy changes are needed to spread this evidence-based service to everyone with diabetes,” the authors conclude. (Health Affairs)
He’s back, and he still has your data
Investment firm Francisco Partners, which just acquired the IBM Watson Health data and analytics assets, has launched a new standalone data analytics company, Merative. Francisco Partners is no stranger to this sector: It has invested in hundreds of technologies companies, including Availity, eSolutions, Capsule, GoodRx, Trellis and Zocdoc. The company intends to offer its health data services to clients ranging from providers, health plans and employers to life sciences firms, imaging companies and government entities, according to the announcement. (FierceHealthcare)
Policy Solutions
Insures must tell (almost) all
Health insurers and self-insured employers must now publicly post on websites almost every price they’ve negotiated with health care providers. The deadline was July 1. However, some insurers remain confused, and critics call the regulations “vague.” The new rules are far broader than those that went into effect last year requiring hospitals to post their negotiated rates for the public to see. Now insurers must post the amounts paid for “every physician in network, every hospital, every surgery center, every nursing facility,” Jeffrey Leibach, a partner at the consulting firm Guidehouse, tells Medscape. (Medscape; Modern Healthcare)
In Case You Missed It!
GTMRx SPONSOR/SPEAKER: VIRTUAL NATIONAL PRIMARY CARE TRANSFORMATION SUMMIT JULY 26-29. FREE REGISTRATION FOR CLINICAL PHARMACISTS AND PHYSICIANS ($1095 VALUE!)
GTMRx is a proud sponsor of the Virtual National Primary Care Transformation Summit, which will take place July 26-29, 2022. The event will feature in-depth conversations and discussions with leaders from CMS/CMMI, VillageMD, Aetna/CVS, Humana, United/Optum, Boeing, Google, Walgreens and others involved in primary care transformation. As a sponsor of the event, we have arranged free registration for a number of clinicians to include NPs, PAs, clinical pharmacists, and primary care physicians (regularly an up-to $1,095 value).
If you qualify, you may register using our special link here: https://registration.eventsair.com/2022pctsummit/pct-comp-gtmrx/Site/Register.
Don’t Miss! After registering, be sure to catch our virtual panel discussion on Friday, July 29, 2022 from 11:15am – 11:00am ET. GTMRx Mini Summit 28: Integrating Pharmacists into Advanced Primary Care: A Better Way to Manage Medications
Faculty:
- Katherine H. Capps, Co-Founder, Executive Director, GTMRx
- Julie Ceno-England, MD, Chief Medical Officer, OneOme
- Steven W. Chen, PharmD, FASHP, FCSHP, FNAP, Associate Professor, Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and Heeres Chair in Community Pharmacy, USC School of Pharmacy
- Michael Hochman, MD, MPH, Chief Executive Officer, Scan’s Homeless Medical Group; Inaugural Director, USC Gehr Center for Health Systems Science & Innovation
- Mitchell A. Kaminski, MD, MBA, Program Director, Population Health, Jefferson College of Population Health
New Episode of Voices of Change Out Now | Alliance for Medication Management: Work in Washington State
An innovative care coordination system is emerging in eastern Washington State. Empire Health Foundation is providing funding to develop and implement a care coordination system that brings pharmacists and care coordinators together to simultaneously address medication related problems and the associated social determinants of health that are impacting the patient’s ability to achieve the intended benefits from their medications. The program is designed to support and supplement the primary care provider’s care plan and identify potential medication related problems, social barriers and behaviors that reduce medication effectiveness.
The program is called Medication Care Coordination or MCC and has been developed as a collaboration between Empire Health Foundation, Aging and Long-Term Care of Eastern Washington (ALTCEW), Rural Resources Community Action (RRCA) and Medication Review, Inc (MRI).
The Washington State University School of Pharmacy is providing academic resources in support of the program and has generated several articles on the findings from early pilots. The Alliance for Integrated Medication Management (AIMM) is providing strategic program design, management development and implementation support to program partners.
Host Katherine (Katie) Capps talks to Jeri Rathbun, Empire Health Foundation; Dr. Bob Crittenden, Health Policy Advisor; and Dr. Candace Anderson, Pharmacists, Medication Review, Inc. Take a listen.
GTMRx Workgroup Update
On June 23, the GTMRx Physician Advisory Group had their fourth meeting featuring a briefing with GTMRx’s ERIC strategic partner James Gelfand, JD, Co-Presisent, ERIC (ERISA Industry Committee). GTMRx has formed a consultative/strategic partnership to drive advocacy to support GTMRx initiatives and goals, focused on enhancing GTMRx opportunities on the demand side (employers as health plan sponsors/ consumer groups).
During the meeting, the group also heard from GTMRx Executive Physician Advisor Michael Barr, MD, MBA, MACP, FRCP, President, MEDIS, about the themes seen across the results from the GTMRx physician survey and how the results support an action-oriented agenda.
GTMRx Webinar: Building, Managing and Sustaining Your CMM Practice June 22
Where is CMM available? What quality measures are being used to evaluate the value of CMM? What do CMM staffing models look like? How mature are CMM practices and what are the various needs based on stages of maturity?
Hear from, M. Shawn McFarland, PharmD, FCCP, BCACP, Veterans Health Administration, on early findings from the GTMRx National Registry of CMM Practices.
Learn from organizations at various lengths of maturity shedding light on the benefits of a more widely adoption of CMM and the challenges of getting there:
- Early stage CMM practice (1-2 years) — Sara Maki, PharmD, BCACP, NorthMemorial Health
- Mid-level stage CMM practice (10+) — Richard Bone, MD, Advocate Medical Group
- Fully mature CMM practice (20+) — Amanda Brummel, PharmD, BCACP, University of Minnesota
Join us to be part of meaningful change
Irma, like many others, struggles as a result of our current trial-and-error approach to medication. That is why we advocate for a new, comprehensive approach to medication use and prescribing. As a non-profit 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organization, the GTMRx Institute and Foundation relies on funding from our supporting members. We ask that you consider becoming a Supporting Signing Member so we can continue to provide relevant, timely resources to get the medications right!
If you’re interested in supporting the Institute or Foundation at a higher level, please contact us. Your dollars will bring about meaningful change for people like Irma.
AmazonSmile is an easy way for 0.5% of your qualified purchases go to the GTMRx Foundation at no cost to you. And signing up is simple—go to smile.amazon.com and select “Get the Medications Right Foundation” as your charity of choice. If you prefer to directly donate instead, you can do so here.
Adding the foundation on AmazonSmile will help us continue to provide no cost educational webinars, issue briefs, weekly news briefs and promote the need for transformation of our current system of medication use through social media campaigns.
