Clinical and Financial Impact of Addiction Medicine Pharmacy Specialist

Pain management in patients with substance use disorder (SUD) is complex and often under-addressed in inpatient settings. Clinical pharmacy specialists (CPS) with expertise in pain management and addiction medicine can play a critical role in closing this care gap. To quantify and describe the clinical and financial impact of a Pain Management CPS focused on addiction medicine through characterization of intervention types and associated cost value.

This was a retrospective chart review of pharmacist interventions conducted over a four-week period in September 2024 at a large, academic, quaternary-referral center. The primary outcome was the identification of intervention type and quantity. Secondary outcomes included the cost value assigned to interventions, and the number of patients discharged with medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD).

Over a one-month period, the Pain Management CPS documented 236 interventions across 72 patient encounters. The most common interventions were the addition of medication (30%) and therapeutic dose adjustments (29.9%). The four-week intervention value was $52711, with a projected annual value exceeding $600 000. MOUD were ordered in > 98% of encounters.

A dedicated Pain Management CPS with a focus on addiction medicine provides significant clinical and financial value in the inpatient setting. Their interventions support effective pain management, improve MOUD access, prevent adverse events, and enhance provider education, all of which contribute to improved patient outcomes and institutional value.