RxAlly: Pharmacist consultations key to curing healthcare ills

More face-to-face interaction between pharmacists and patients would reduce chronic diseases, cut healthcare costs, and lessen the misuse of medications, according to a May 21 white paper by RxAlly.

The report, Personalized Pharmacist Care: Healing America’s Post Reform Healthcare System, proposes individually-tailored clinical and consultation services to improve patient outcomes and other problems threatening America’s healthcare system.

“We are excited to release our vision of a nationwide care delivery model that seeks to transform an outdated and ineffective paradigm into one that can benefit all Americans,” said Bruce Roberts, CEO of RxAlly, a nationwide alliance of more than 22,000 pharmacies. “The expertise of the pharmacist, which is largely absent elsewhere along the care continuum, is perfectly suited to address the increasing complexities related to medication use, chronic disease prevalence, and access to care issues.”

The white paper cites a 2011 report by the U.S. Surgeon General that concluded every dollar spent on clinical pharmacy services created $10 in economic benefit. The white paper also cites case studies such as the Asheville Project, which demonstrated an improvement in patient outcomes and reduced costs following medication counseling involving pharmacists and has became a model for employers across the country.

In that study, the city of Asheville, NC partnered with pharmacists to provide patient counseling. The city also waived copayments for certain medications and increased patient education.

The steps taken by Asheville decreased cardiovascular medical expenses 47%, reduced diabetes-related costs $1,200 per patient, and lowered asthma-related, emergency-room visits by 50%.