Pharmacist Transition-of-Care Services Improve Patient Satisfaction and Decrease Hospital Readmissions

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Patient Safety

Background:

• The impact of pharmacist-led transitions-of-care (TOC) services on patient satisfaction, as measured by Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) surveys, remains unclear.
• Evaluating the role of pharmacists in improving patient experience during care transitions is crucial for healthcare quality improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effect of pharmacist-led TOC services on patient satisfaction regarding medication communication and care transitions.
• To evaluate the impact of TOC services on 30-day hospital readmission rates.
• To quantify potential medication safety events prevented and analyze prescription capture at the outpatient pharmacy.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective analysis of patients undergoing TOC services between July 2018 and March 2019 was performed.
• Intervention (INV) group patients received pharmacist medication reconciliation, education, and post-discharge follow-up calls.
• Control (CON) group patients did not receive these specific pharmacist interventions.

Main Results:

• A significant improvement of 14.7% in overall medication-related HCAHPS scores was observed post-TOC implementation (p < 0.0001).
• Statistically significant increases were noted in HCAHPS questions related to understanding medication purpose and effects.
• While overall readmissions were non-significantly decreased, discharge phone calls significantly reduced 30-day readmissions by 17.3% to 12.4% (p = 0.007).
• Pharmacists potentially prevented 143 medication safety events and facilitated 562 prescriptions at the academic medical center outpatient pharmacy.

Conclusions:

• Pharmacy-led transitions-of-care models effectively enhance patient satisfaction with medication management and care.
• These services show promise in reducing hospital readmissions, particularly through post-discharge follow-up.
• TOC initiatives by pharmacists can improve patient outcomes, prevent safety events, and contribute to pharmacy revenue.