Implementing a Pharmacist-Led Primary Care Pharmacogenomics Medication Management Service.

Area of Science:

• Pharmacogenomics
• Personalized Medicine
• Primary Care Pharmacy Practice

Background:

• Pharmacogenomics (PGx) guides optimal medication selection, driven by personalized medicine demand and chronic disease prevalence.
• Existing PGx implementation models lack pharmacist utilization in primary care and standardization, hindering widespread adoption.
• A need exists for structured models to integrate PGx services into primary care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and application of an institutional guidance document for implementing PGx medication management services.
• To establish a standardized workflow for PGx services in primary care clinics within an integrated health system.
• To measure the growth in completed PGx visits following implementation.

Main Methods:

• A pharmacist task force developed a comprehensive guidance document based on literature, guidelines, and policies.
• The document outlined six minimum practice requirements and six recommendations for primary care implementation.
• Retrospective chart review analyzed PGx visits (in-person, phone, eConsult) from January 1, 2022, to September 30, 2022.

Main Results:

• Pharmacist-led PGx medication management services were established across all primary care sites.
• During the study period, 1378 patients had 1939 PGx visits, with 92% referred by primary care providers.
• Primary care pharmacists conducted 86.7% of visits, with 89% of participating pharmacists completing at least one visit.

Conclusions:

• Developing an institutional process and guidance document facilitated the implementation and standardization of pharmacist-led PGx services.
• Disseminating workflow expectations to providers and pharmacists led to successful service adoption.
• The implemented model demonstrated a scalable approach to integrating PGx into primary care.