CPF Communications

PQA Receives NQF Endorsement of Three Performance Measures to Address Opioid Misuse/Abuse 

The National Quality Forum (NQF) finalized the endorsement of 13 new measures related to patient safety, including three Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) measures that address the use of opioids at high dosage or from multiple providers:

1. Use of Opioids at High Dosage in Persons Without Cancer (OHD): assesses populations that are receiving prescriptions for opioids at a high dose that could be inappropriate or could contribute to an adverse event.
2. Use of Opioids from Multiple Providers in Persons Without Cancer (OMP): assesses populations that are receiving opioid prescriptions from multiple prescribers and multiple pharmacies, which may indicate uncoordinated care and/or doctor/pharmacy shopping.
3. Use of Opioids at High Dosage and from Multiple Providers in Persons Without Cancer (OHDMP): includes criteria of both high dose opioids and also receiving prescriptions from multiple providers - which may indicate misuse, abuse, or inappropriate and/or fragmented care.

The three measures currently are reported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to Part D prescription drug plans through the CMS Patient Safety reports, and CMS has proposed the measures be included on the 2019 Part D Display page. Additionally, the OHD measure is included in the 2016 Core Set of Adult Health Care Quality Measures for Medicaid (Adult Core Set).


NASPA Shares Resources for Chronic Care Management
The National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA) shared resources on Chronic Care Management (CCM) including an overview from the American Pharmacists Association (APhA)

As of January 1, 2015, the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) reimburses qualified providers for CCM services for Medicare beneficiaries with two or more chronic health conditions. Pharmacists can participate in CCM as clinical staff, with their services being billed incident to by a qualified provider. CCM services include five core activities:

• Recording structured data in the patient’s health record;
• Maintaining a comprehensive care plan for each patient;
• Providing 24/7 access to care;
• Comprehensive care management; and
• Transitional care management.

CCM could be a foundational base payment mechanism for pharmacists and their prescriber partners who are collaborating on the care of a patient population. Additionally, CCM and complex CCM could provide the fee-for-service mechanism for pharmacists to be compensated for some of their services as pharmacists and physicians enter into emerging quality-based and risk-sharing payment structures.
 

Congratulations Grantees!

Geoffrey Meer, PharmD & Josh Akers, PharmD | Kelley-Ross Foundation, Washington

The research team at Kelley-Ross is wrapping up their first CPF grant.  They presented findings at the 2017 Qualis Health Northwest Patient Safety Conference, for which they received an award of excellence. Congrats Team!

Award of Excellence: Pharmacy - Kelley-Ross Pharmacy Group, Seattle, for their project, "Heart 2 Heart, Improving Outcomes and Decreasing Readmissions for Heart Failure Patients through Integrated Pharmacist Home Visit Model."

April Excerpt | Qualis Health Medicare: In-home visits from pharmacists helped reduce readmission rates. A Seattle-based community pharmacy (Kelley-Ross) and hospital recently partnered on an intervention that uses in-home visits and follow-up phone calls from pharmacists to substantially reduce rehospitalizations among heart-failure patients. In Idaho, 17.1% of Medicare's heart failure patients are rehospitalized within 30 days; in Washington, that rate is 21.3%—but among the 50-patient study population, just 8% were readmitted.

More information is available on a designated project website. 
 

CPF Project Title:

Better care for high-risk patients A community-based partnership to deliver in-home medication management
Grant Details Page | Poster

Elizabeth Dragatsi, RPh, BCPS | Dragatsi & Co., Maine

Dragatsi took her research 'across the pond' to present at the The International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare from April 26-28 in London, UK. The process entailed a four minute oral presentation to a group of highly motivated people who viewed selected posters during a specified time period.  Her poster received a commendation. Congrats Elizabeth!

The International Forum is jointly organized by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and BMJ. Now in its 22nd year the International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare is a biannual gathering of healthcare professionals in quality improvement and patient safety. The International Forum supports and energizes the movement for healthcare improvement and connects healthcare leaders and practitioners worldwide to improve outcomes for patients and communities.


 

CPF Project Title: 

Engaging pediatric patients in counseling and medication therapy management services in urban and rural community pharmacies

Grant Details Page | Poster



Kate Gainer, PharmD & Anthony Pudlo, PharmD | Iowa Pharmacy Association, Iowa

As part of the ongoing deliverables while the grant is 'In-Study', the Iowa CPESN project has released an updated list of their 'ChargeUp' calls. These bimonthly conference calls have been provided to pharmacies participating in various enhanced services or value-based pharmacy networks within Iowa. The purpose of this webinar series is to keep pharmacies informed of key clinical and practice-related topics to assist in participation in these networks.

New topic areas include the following:
    Mini-COG^TM  3-minute instrument that can increase detection of cognitive          impairment in older adults
    Continuous Medication Management
    Smoking Cessation Resources
    Quality Payment Program (QPP) under MACRA
    Collaborative Practice Agreements
There is no charge to access the audio recordings; some of the content is Iowa-specific.

CPF Project Title: 

Advancing a Community Pharmacy Enhanced Service Network

Grant Details Page | Webinar Recordings (download)