Creating a Pharmacotherapy Collaborative Practice Network to Manage Medications for Children and Youth: A Population...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Healthcare
• Clinical Pharmacy Practice
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Children with special health care needs (CSHCN) incur higher healthcare costs and morbidity.
• Current healthcare models may not fully address the complex medication needs of CSHCN.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline a framework for integrating clinical pharmacists into Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PCMH) for comprehensive medication management (CMM) of CSHCN.
• To propose models and infrastructure for collaborative practice agreements (CPAs) between pharmacists and pediatricians.

Main Methods:

• The paper applies findings from the CMM in Primary Care grant.
• It outlines the establishment of collaborative practices, proposes organizational models, and details EHR requirements.
• Focuses on consistent CMM documentation for CSHCN.

Main Results:

• Provides potential network infrastructures for collaborative practice targeting CSHCN.
• Defines common language and terminology for CMM.
• Offers clinical pharmacist workforce estimates.

Conclusions:

• Embedding clinical pharmacists in PCMHs for CMM can improve outcomes for CSHCN.
• This integration can enhance family experience and reduce healthcare costs.
• The paper provides a practical guide for implementing CMM services for CSHCN.