MTM essential in health care reform, UConn’s Hritcko tells
President
Pharmacy advocates share their stories on healthreform.gov.
Pharmacist.com is proud to provide accounts of pharmacists’
dedication, initiative, and commitment to the cause of advancing our
profession. The next installment in our series of selections from
contributions to pharmacist.com and healthreform.gov comes from Philip
M. Hritcko, PharmD, CACP, Assistant Department Head, Pharmacy Practice,
at the University of Connecticut (UConn) School of Pharmacy in Storrs.
Hritcko consults as a clinical pharmacist at the William W. Backus
Hospital Anticoagulation Clinic in Norwich, CT, where he manages
anticoagulation therapy. Having seen firsthand how patients can benefit
from medication therapy management (MTM), Hritcko delivers an
impassioned plea for inclusion of such provisions in health care reform
proposals.
If you haven’t done so already, post your own story on healthreform.gov,
and send a copy of the text to Allison Wiley at APhA.
Dear Mr.
President,
You will face many challenges ahead. The American people are ready to
work with you to help solve these issues. I know that I am not alone in
wishing you and your administration all the best during your tenure as
President.
I would like to offer my assistance regarding the challenge of
reforming health care. My background and experience as a health care
provider and educator have positioned me to be of assistance to you and
your administration.
As a clinical pharmacist at the William W. Backus Hospital
Anticoagulation Clinic, I manage the anticoagulation therapy of patients
on anticoagulants such as warfarin and enoxaparin. I collaborate with an
attending physician under a protocol allowing specialized pharmacists to
monitor and adjust patient's anticoagulation therapy. Numerous studies
have validated that pharmacist-managed anticoagulation provides better
and more effective results, with fewer adverse events, than does usual
and customary physician monitoring.
As you develop health care reform proposals, I'm writing as a
pharmacist and educator to ask that future health care reform proposals
recognize the role that pharmacists can play in improving the quality
and safety of medication use and improving health outcomes.
As the medication expert on the health care team—and one of the
most accessible health care providers—the pharmacist is in the
unique position to help coordinate patient care and provide preventive
services such as medication therapy management. Unfortunately, our
medication expertise is one of the most underutilized resources in the
health care system. As you know, patients with complex medication
regimens, often those with chronic illnesses, constitute the bulk of our
current health care spending. Well-coordinated and high quality care is
essential for ensuring quality of life for these patients. In a variety
of practice settings, pharmacists, collaborating with patients and
physicians, have improved health outcomes for these patients and have
reduced health care costs in both the public and private sectors through
MTM programs.
Patient access to pharmacist-provided patient care services is an
absolutely essential step to achieving better quality in our health care
system. These critical services help to ensure proper medication use
while improving medication adherence, both of which improve therapeutic
outcomes and reduce overall health care costs. Such services empower
patients to become active participants in their health care. The health
care reform debate provides an opportunity to build upon these public
and private MTM successes.
Therefore, as you consider how to improve our nation's health care
system, I urge you not to overlook the valuable role that pharmacists
can play and expand patient access to pharmacist services. I welcome the
opportunity to discuss my experiences in improving patient outcomes.
Related resources on www.pharmacist.com
Related resources on the Web:
Beth Farnstrom (bfarnstrom)
Posted October 1, 2009, 3:00 pm EDT
|
