Implementation of a Synergistic, Complementary Pharmacy Practice Model for an Advanced Heart Failure/Heart Transplant...

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Cardiology
• Transplant Medicine

Background:

• Advanced heart failure (HF) and transplant patients face challenges with medication access, education, and care transitions (ToC).
• A dedicated pharmacy practice model was developed to address these critical gaps in patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the activities of a four-member pharmacy team (3 pharmacists, 1 specialty technician) in an Advanced HF/Transplant program.
• To evaluate the impact of this pharmacy practice model on medication access, education, and ToC for high-risk patients.

Main Methods:

• Prospective data collection in 2020 for 284 admissions of advanced HF/transplant patients and ambulatory HF clinic patients.
• Interventions included daily medication reconciliation, e-prescribing, patient consultation, and telephone callbacks.
• Metrics quantified included medication access, education completion, ToC points, and outpatient prescription volume and revenue.

Main Results:

• 97% of patients received standardized discharge medication education.
• 100% of newly transplanted or LVAD patients had medication access on discharge and received follow-up consultation within 48 hours.
• Outpatient prescription volume increased by 42%, with a 157% net revenue increase.

Conclusions:

• An integrated pharmacy practice model significantly improved medication access, education, and ToC for advanced HF/transplant patients.
• This model enhanced medication safety through coordinated care across inpatient, outpatient, and specialty settings.
• Collaboration between pharmacists and technicians is crucial for optimizing care for high-risk patient populations.