Opinion
Video
Multiple Myeloma Care: Pharmacist Team Collaboration
Kristen Peterson, PharmD, BCOP, reviews how pharmacists collaborate with health care teams to optimize patient care through treatment insight, coordination, and adverse effects management, in addition to ensuring medication accessibility for better outcomes.
This is a video synopsis/summary of an Insights episode involving Kristen Peterson, PharmD, BCOP.
Peterson elaborated on how pharmacists collaborate with all members of myeloma care teams. With physicians, pharmacists provide input on optimal treatment regimens, avoiding or dose-reducing certain medications per patients’ existing health conditions, determining necessary supportive care and timing to minimize adverse effects, and entering accurate treatment plans into electronic health records. With midlevel providers, pharmacists discuss optimal patient scheduling, coordinate patient education, answer drug information questions, and modify/delay therapies due to potential adverse effects. They also help find alternative medications if insurance coverage barriers exist. With nurse navigators/managers, pharmacists guide adverse effect management and serve as an initial point of contact when patients call with questions, then connect them to the appropriate provider/clinic. Pharmacists also ensure patients are enrolled in risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) programs and work with clinic nurses to evaluate additional care needs during appointments (eg vaccines, bone-strengthening drugs). Pharmacists additionally work with financial teams to prevent unexpected bills for treatments, with research teams to confirm clinical trial eligibility and alignment of research treatment plans with institutional standards/protocols, and with pharmacy technicians to assist patients with prior authorizations and co-pay/financial assistance for medications. Finally, pharmacists can advocate to their institutions’ formulary committees for addition of new myeloma therapies as guidelines evolve.
Video synopsis is AI-generated and reviewed by Pharmacy Times® editorial staff.
