Pharmacist programs: What makes them work?

Strong administrative oversight, buy-in to the idea of interdisciplinary work, and good data management systems are all needed to make pharmacist-based disease management programs work, says David Nau, RPh, PhD, assistant professor of behavioral and administrative pharmacy at West Virginia University in Morgantown. Nau helped develop a pharmacist-based system for asthma care tested at two sites in Florida and offers the following tips based on that experience:

· Use a systems approach so the total responsibility doesn't fall solely on the pharmacist. Work with the health plan to review claims data to identify patients who need extra education and monitoring.

· Put together a group of pharmacists in the same region to work together and give them hands-on training rather than having them read a manual.

· Develop a mechanism for assessing quality. Document such activities as number of visits with patients, and do patient surveys.

· Explicitly define the services to be provided by the pharmacist and by the physician. Establish an efficient means of communication between the two.

· Get referrals from health plans and physicians to make patients more comfortable with this new care model.