Pediatric asthma medication therapy management through community pharmacy and primary care collaboration.

OBJECTIVES: To design and implement a collaborative medication therapy management (MTM) program targeting pediatric patients with high-risk asthma in a community pharmacy.

SETTING: Underserved inner city of Cincinnati, OH.

PRACTICE DESCRIPTION: A large national grocery store chain pharmacy and an academic hospital developed a partnership aimed at improving asthma care for shared patients. An interdisciplinary project team was formed, including 2 clinical pharmacists, 1 pharmacy district clinical coordinator, 1 pharmacy division clinical coordinator, 1 associate professor at a college of pharmacy, 1 pharmacy resident, and 3 pediatric physicians. This pilot project involved 2 Kroger Pharmacy sites and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center's (CCHMC) 3 pediatric primary care centers.

PRACTICE INNOVATION: Kroger and CCHMC staff identified shared high-risk asthma patients (those cared for at the included primary care centers who used Kroger for their medication fills) with the use of information from validated symptom assessments (Asthma Control Test), refill history, and recent health care utilization. Community pharmacists recruited jointly identified patients and provided a targeted MTM intervention. Education focused on asthma diagnosis, types of asthma medications, appropriate medication administration, and environmental triggers. Pharmacists suggested medication changes to prescribers via facsimile. Pharmacists followed up with patients in 30 days to assess asthma control, provide additional education, and propose further recommendations.

EVALUATION: Outcomes evaluated included the average number of recommendations made to patients and prescribers and acceptance rates for each of those measures.

RESULTS: Six patients completed the project. Pharmacists provided an average of 3.7 recommendations to each patient and 1.5 to prescribers for each patient; 77.3% and 100% recommendations were accepted, respectively.

CONCLUSION: This pilot project describes the design and implementation of a pharmacist-physician collaborative program for high-risk pediatric asthma patients. The greatest outcome of this project was the formation of a collaborative team between pharmacists and physicians that continues to work together on additional family-centered initiatives.