Care team perspectives on community pharmacy enhanced services

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Pharmacy Practice
• Primary Care Medicine

Background:

• Enhanced pharmacy services offer opportunities for collaboration within patient-centered medical home teams.
• Understanding the perspectives of care managers and primary care providers is crucial for successful integration of these services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess awareness, perceived value, and barriers related to enhanced pharmacy services among care managers and primary care practice responders.
• To identify preferred communication methods and levels for referrals between primary care and enhanced-service pharmacies.

Main Methods:

• An electronic questionnaire was distributed to 1648 primary care practices and 600 care managers in North Carolina.
• Data were collected on awareness, perceived value, communication preferences, and barriers to using enhanced pharmacy services.
• Descriptive statistics and t tests were used for data analysis.

Main Results:

• Response rates were 5.4% for practice responders and 45% for care managers.
• While 88% of care managers were familiar with enhanced pharmacy services, only 35% of practice responders were.
• Over 85% of practice responders recognized the value of enhanced pharmacy services for improving patient health outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Enhanced community pharmacy services present a significant opportunity for collaboration with patient-centered medical home teams.
• Barriers such as lack of knowledge about services and referral processes hinder utilization.
• Targeted provider outreach and education are essential to maximize collaboration and the impact of enhanced pharmacy services.