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 team member’s role is,” she explains. Moreover, patients benefit “when they have access to and hear the same message from multiple providers.” (Healio Endocrinology)
CMO discusses pharmacogenomics pilot
Blue Care Network launched a pharmacogenomics pilot involving 500 Medicare patients and plans a full rollout in January 2023. “What we want to do is get people on the right drug, at the right time, as soon as possible in the process, and this program affords us that opportunity,” Dr. Scott Betzelos, chief medical officer, tells MiBiz. The potential benefits are significant: reduced complications, reduced drug interactions, reduced ED visits, reduced inpatient admissions, reduced trial and error associated with multiple medications—and all the associated costs. “There’s also value for the provider and our pharmacist making recommendations.” (MiBiz)
Evidence & Innovation
Study: Top hospitals jack up price of cancer meds
Some top cancer hospitals significantly mark up the price of cancer drugs, according to a new JAMA Internal Medicine study. The worst example: The prostate cancer drug leuprolide had a median markup of 634%. Fifteen other drugs had net price markups of at least 200%. Most top cancer institutions keep their drug prices secret in direct violation of federal law. “Hospitals may earn greater revenue per unit from cancer therapies than the pharmaceutical companies that manufactured them,” researchers noted. (STAT+; JAMA Internal Medicine)
Of concern: Polypharmacy and seniors with HIV
People 65+ with HIV receive significantly more non-antiretroviral therapy medications, compared with those 50-64, according to research in Canadian Journal of General Internal Medicine. About 60% of the patients with HIV studied were taking at least one potentially inappropriate medication. “I want to do more patient-centered personalized care…so that we don’t have someone with a short life expectancy still taking 15 medications a day,” lead author Jacqueline McMillan, MD, tells Medscape. Coauthor Adrian Wagg, MD, agrees: “There is a huge movement now around actively de-prescribing medications which are either no longer indicated or potentially of little benefit, given remaining life expectancy.” (Medscape Medical News; Canadian Journal of General Internal Medicine)
Many PCPs lack confidence in vaccines
Many primary care physicians are hesitant about vaccines, according to research recently published in Vaccine. A May 2021 survey found that among 625 physicians, 10.1% did not agree that vaccines were safe; 9.3% did not agree that vaccines were effective; and 8.3% did not agree that they were important. Only 67.4% strongly agreed that vaccines are safe, just 75% strongly agreed they are effective, and only 76% strongly agreed they’re important. The survey didn’t specify vaccine type. (MedPage Today; Vaccine)
Policy Solutions
Opinion: Make policy changes to prevent medication harm
No clinician can understand the effects of drug interactions—especially when they don’t know what medications patients are taking. “Uncoordinated prescription regimens can lead to decreases in drug efficacy and greater risk of adverse effects,” write Mark A. Munger, PharmD; Jacques Turgeon, BPharm, PhD; and Wilson D. Pace, MD. It’s time, they say, for policy changes that optimize medication use. “Effective programs will need engagement and coordination between community pharmacists and prescribing clinicians in a systematic and organized manner, leveraging the things each does best to drive real results for people who need it.” (The Hill)
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 Panel Presentation at Health Purchaser Forum
The Economic Alliance for Michigan Health Purchaser Forum in Detroit featured a session on “Prescription Drugs: The Right Drug for the Right Patient Delivered the Right Way” featuring GTMRx’s Sandra Morris, Craig Burton (Association for Accessible Medicines) and Sarah Thompson (Onduo, a Verily company).
From pharmaceuticals to healthcare facilities, learn about how much healthcare is costing purchasers and how to demand better value without losing quality during the day’s various sessions.
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.
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.
