NACDS Foundation grants to help hospital-discharged patients

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation has provided $1.8 million to researchers to study the impact of pharmacist collaboration in medication management for patients who have been discharged from the hospital.

The NACDS Foundation awarded three research grants, worth $600,000 each, for support of a two-year project. The recipients are:

*The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy and the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Together, they will examine the impact of pharmacist-provided medication management on hospital readmissions in several communities in Mississippi. The Mississippi Division of Medicaid and Walgreens pharmacies will participate as well.

*Geisinger Health System. The health system will work with 37 community pharmacies, analyzing the impact of pharmacist collaboration with high-risk patients who are inpatients and outpatients in Pennsylvania, as well as the impact of pharmacist-provided care follow-up on hospital readmissions. Other participants include Wilkes University College of Pharmacy and Nursing, Keystone Health Information Exchange, CareSite pharmacies, Weis pharmacies, Medicine Shoppe pharmacies, Medicap pharmacy, and Harrold’s pharmacy.

*The Health Collaborative. In Ohio, the Health Collaborative will work with The Kroger Co., HealthBridge, and the University of Cincinnati’s James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, studying the impact of integrating electronic health information with pharmacist-provided medication management following hospital discharge. Other partners include the Greater Cincinnati Health Council, American Mercy Home Care, UC Health, the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, UC Health West Chester Hospital, selected Mercy Health Hospitals, and Kroger pharmacies in the Cincinnati-Dayton area.

“This research is so important to the advancement of patient care and we look forward to better understanding the impact of pharmacists’ collaboration with patients after they leave the hospital,” said NACDS Foundation President Kathleen Jaeger.