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December 16, 2015
BP Kiosk Information Allows Pharmacists to
Recommend Improvements Bloomington, MN—A pilot program spotlights how a blood pressure kiosk can do more than just take up valuable space in a pharmacy. The 6-month initiative undertaken by HealthPartners, Sterling pharmacy, and PharmaSmart provided information to community pharmacists so they could help patients more effectively treat hypertension. Included in the pilot program were 270 HealthPartners members who had a diagnosis of hypertension and a prescription for medication to lower blood pressure at a Sterling pharmacy. Those members received a Smart Card, which allowed them to routinely measure and track their blood pressure on a PharmaSmart blood pressure kiosk inside the Sterling pharmacies. The clinically validated blood pressure kiosks contained technology to automatically transmit the data into the Sterling pharmacy clinical system. That way, pharmacists were able to proactively intervene on the patient’s behalf by recommending a change in dose or a new medication to the prescriber. “One of the key findings of the pilot program is the importance of personal interaction between the patient and the pharmacist,” explained Tim Gallagher, president of Astrup Drug, Inc. which owns and operates Sterling pharmacies. “Pharmacists have the opportunity to extend the care team and optimize therapy to positively impact patient outcomes.” Nearly half of the active members in the pilot program had uncontrolled blood pressure even though they were on hypertension medication, according to a HealthPartners press release. As a result of recommendations from Sterling pharmacists, blood pressure improved for about one third of patients through the course of the pilot study. The mean reduction in blood pressure among the uncontrolled group was –11 mmHg systolic and –8 mmHg diastolic, HealthPartners reported. The pilot program was implemented after an earlier HealthPartners analysis revealed a discrepancy between medication adherence and appropriate clinical outcomes. Although about 85% of patients with a diagnosis of hypertension had filled their prescriptions in a timely manner, the comparison of pharmacy claims with medical records revealed that the medication was not fully effective for about a third of them. “It is well understood that the pharmacist can play a key role in supporting medication adherence. This pilot shows that community pharmacists can add even more value by confirming that the prescribed medication is doing what it is supposed to do,” added Richard Bruzek, vice president of HealthPartners pharmacy services. He said that, based on the promising results of the pilot program, HealthPartners is exploring program expansion in 2016. |
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