Pharmacist Involvement in a Community Paramedicine Team

Area of Science:

• Healthcare delivery innovation
• Interdisciplinary team-based care
• Patient readmission reduction strategies

Background:

• Hospital readmissions incur significant costs and financial penalties for health systems.
• Mobile-integrated health and community paramedicine (MIH-CP) programs target high-risk patients.
• Pharmacist home visits are known to improve clinical outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development of a multidisciplinary Community Paramedicine Team (CPT).
• To delineate the responsibilities of CPT members.
• To report outcomes from pilot home visits by the CPT.

Main Methods:

• A novel CPT comprising a pharmacist, paramedic, and social worker was formed.
• The CPT conducted home visits for eligible patients.
• Patients with heart failure readmitted within 30 days were targeted for home visits.

Main Results:

• A total of 6 patients were seen during the pilot phase.
• An additional 2 patients received services post-pilot.
• The pilot demonstrated the feasibility of the CPT model.

Conclusions:

• Integrating a pharmacist into a CPT expands pharmacy services.
• This model offers a novel approach to managing and reducing hospital readmissions.
• Multidisciplinary teams can effectively address complex patient needs.