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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 to explore how patients, docs assess risk vs. benefits
The FDA’s Office of Prescription Drug Promotion study how patients and physicians weigh the trade-offs between risks and benefits when starting a new prescription drug, Fierce Pharma reports. The study will focus on Type 2 diabetes and psoriasis, splitting 800 patients and 800 physicians who have or specialize in those diseases to compare the preferences of the two groups. The data from these choices will be used to “explore the trade-offs that consumers and physicians are willing to make to avoid or accept specific attribute levels,” according to the OPDP Federal Register notice. (Fierce Pharma)

Evidence & Innovation

Antibiotics part 1: Most patients get antibiotics at end of life
A large VA study of antibiotic use in the last six months of life found that 77% of hospice patients and 80% of palliative care patients received at least one antibiotic, while 69% of patients not receiving hospice or palliative care received antibiotics. “We observed that patients receiving [end of life] care have high levels of antibiotic exposure across VA population particularly on entry to hospice or during admissions when they receive palliative care consultation,” the investigators concluded. The findings were presented at the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America Conference 2022. (Contagion Live)
Antibiotics part 2: Overuse, misuse is rampant
We already knew that antibiotic use is far higher in the U.S than in many other countries; now new research finds that most antibiotic prescriptions for U.S. seniors and Black and Hispanic Americans are inappropriate. The findings, reported by Health Day, were presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious meeting. Antibiotic prescribing rates were highest in Black and Hispanic patients (122 and 139 prescriptions per 1,000 visits, respectively), followed by patients under age 18 and females (114 and 170 prescriptions per 1,000 visits, respectively). The findings are preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. (Health Day)

Policy Solutions

DOJ launches investigation into Cerebral
Cerebral, the digital mental health company, is in more trouble. Previously, CVS Health, Walmart and Walgreens reportedly blocked and delayed some prescriptions due to Adderall over-prescribing concerns. Cerebral denied the allegations of overprescribing. Now it’s under investigation for “possible violations of the Controlled Substances Act.” It received a grand jury subpoena from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York earlier this month. “To be clear, at this time, no regulatory or law enforcement authority has accused Cerebral of violating any law,” the company said. (Modern HealthcareFierce Healthcare)
MA plans draw OIG scrutiny, criticism
Each year, tens of thousands of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries are denied necessary care that should be covered, according to the HHS Office of the Inspector General. Investigators determined that some Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs) delayed or denied Medicare Advantage beneficiaries’ access to services, even though the requests met Medicare coverage rules. MAOs denied prior authorization and payment requests that met Medicare coverage rules by using clinical criteria not contained in Medicare coverage rules; requesting unnecessary documentation; and making manual review errors and system errors. (New York TimesHHS OIG report)

In Case You Missed It!

GTMRx Workgroup Update
On May 2, Donna Messersmith, Ph.D, provider education specialist, Education and Community Involvement Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, spoke to the GTMRx Precision Medicine Workgroup about the Inter-Society Coordinating Committee for Practitioner Education in Genomics (ISCC-PEG) and the areas of within ISCC-PEG’s work which intersect with the work of GTMRx.
GTMRx Blog: CMMI-funded pilot shows that CMM is scalable, sustainable and successful
Comprehensive medication management embedded within primary care provides a scalable and sustainable way to achieve the Quadruple Aim, says Steve Chen PharmD, FNAP, GTMRx distinguished fellow and associate dean for clinical affairs at USC School of Pharmacy, in a recent blog. He shared the results of a Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) Round 1 Healthcare Innovation Award program. “The CMMI funding allowed my team at the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy, in collaboration with AltaMed Health Services, to evaluate the impact of providing CMM services for high-risk patients. It was, in short, a success.”
See more details here.

Celebrating 3 Years of Impact: GTMRx Institute Turns 3!

The Get The Medications Right Institute (GTMRx) is celebrating 3 years of impact and advancement of our goals. Now, more than ever we remain committed and anchored in our mission and goals to:
  • A personalized, patient-centered, systematic and coordinated approach to medication use will vastly improve outcomes and reduce overall health care costs.
  • We must align systems of care to integrate comprehensive medication management, engaging patients to ensure that they are willing and able to take those medications that are indicated, effective, and safe, to optimize their outcomes.
  • We need immediate delivery system, payment, and policy transformation to streamline clinical trials and reduce costs of bringing drugs to market while enabling successful, broad-scale adoption of integrated, comprehensive medication management (CMM) services.
  • Appropriate diagnosis and access to advanced diagnostics with companion/complementary and pharmacogenetics (PGx) testing is essential to target correct therapy.
  • Success requires team-based, patient-centered care models that recognize appropriately skilled clinical pharmacists as medication experts who work in collaborative practice with physicians and other providers.
Thank you to all who have joined us and aided in our mission to advance personalized, patient centered, team-based care. If you aren’t already a part of the Institute, you can join us by agreeing to our belief statements here: https://gtmr.org/become-a-signing-member/
GTMRx Executive Roundtable
Optimizing medication use for accountable care success: Experts from CMS Innovation Center, VA, Cleveland Clinic, MHealth Fairview and other leading organizations share insights and offer concrete recommendations
What does accountable care look like? How does medication optimization support ACOs? Which business models will drive access, across the continuum of care, to team-based services that ensure safe, effective and appropriate use of medications and gene therapies?
These are just three of the questions experts considered at the April 13 GTMRx Executive Roundtable, co-hosted by the Institute for Advancing Health Value (formerly the Accountable Care Learning Collaborative).
The invitation-only virtual executive roundtable featured an array of experts, including speakers from the CMS Innovation Center, the VA, Cleveland Clinic and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Two CMS Innovation Center leaders kicked off the event: Sarah Fogler, PhD, Deputy Director, Patient Care Models Group, and Pauline Lapin, MHS, Director of Seamless Care Models Group.
Other presenters included Katherine Laurenzano, MD, medical director for Primary Care Monitoring and Oversight, Office of Primary Care, Department of Veterans Affairs; Erick Sokn, PharmD, MS, pharmacy director, Population Health – Cleveland Clinic; and Amanda Brummel, PharmD, BCACP, vice president of Clinical Ambulatory Pharmacy Services, MHealth Fairview
Breakout sessions offered the opportunity for facilitated discussion about pressing topics as population health, social determinants of health, data-driven transformation and risk management. The discussions — and the resulting recommendations — will guide our work as we develop our ACO toolkit. More broadly, it will guide us as we advocate for personalized, team-based, comprehensive primary care and specialist models that offer a more coordinated, systematic approach to medication use, thereby saving lives and saving money.
Thank you to all who joined the event and our robust discussions. If you missed it, you can learn more here.
GTMRx Workgroup Update
On April 13, Amanda Brummel, Pharm.D., BCACP, vice president, Clinical Pharmacy Services, Fairview Pharmacy Services, spoke to the GTMRx Best Practices and Innovative Solutions Subgroup meeting to inform their work on their ACO stakeholder toolkit. Dr. Brummel covered topics such as: ACO quality measures of success, benefits and investment needs for CMM, greatest challenges/pain points for ACOs, and more.
The Right Drug Dose Now Act Introduced Feb. 28, 2022
On February 28, 2022, the GTMRx Institute issued a letter of support for the Right Drug Dose Now Act which was introduced on the same day. (See the press release from Congressman Swalwell here.)
GTMRx’s Precision Medicine Enablement via Advanced Diagnostics Workgroup invited congressional staff from the Personalized Medicine Caucus to present on draft PGx legislation underway on two occasions. The Personalized Medicine Caucus, co-chaired by Representatives Tom Emmer (R-MN) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA), engages members in a constructive dialogue about legislative and regulatory policies that can help realize the full potential of personalized medicine. The recommendations that came out of these discussions were put into our Letter to the Personalized Medicine Caucus Co-Chairs—Representatives Tom Emmer (R-MN) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA)—on the Right Drug Dose Now Act.
Some of the GTMRx recommendations to the Caucus included:
  • Incorporating comprehensive medication management definition and language.
  • Combining PGx testing with the CMM process of care.
  • Expanding implementation of EHR guidelines, education awareness campaigns, and reporting.
  • Clarifying the definition of adverse drug events.
A Comprehensive Overview of the Institute, It’s Vision, Mission and Leadership
The Get the Medications Right Institute is working to decrease misuse, overuse and underuse of medications and avoid waste by advancing comprehensive medication management to ensure appropriate and personalized use of medications and gene therapies. Learn more in this brochure.
Interested in supporting our work?
Please contact Jeff Hanson (e: [email protected])
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.

Become a Supporting Member Today

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.
The GTMRx Institute is supported by our Founding Funders, Executive Members and Strategic Partners.
  See past issues of our weekly news brief here
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