PQA Collaborates With Humana, Pfizer, Walgreens to Evaluate Pharmacist-Driven Diabetes Care

Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) has announced a partnership with Humana, Pfizer, and Walgreens to evaluate the impact of pharmacist-provided care on medication use, health, and economic outcomes in patients with diabetes. The project aims to demonstrate the value of collaboration between pharmacists and health care payers in the delivery of patient-centered care.

“Our pharmacists are central to the well-being of communities across the nation and play a critical role in supporting patient health as part of the overall care team,” said Rick Gates, BSPharm, senior vice president of pharmacy and health care at Walgreens, in a prepared statement. “We’re excited to partner on this study as it supports our efforts to ensure that patients have convenient access to personalized, high-quality diabetes care that improves health outcomes.”

The study will assess the impact of Walgreens’ pharmacist-provided care program in a population of patients with diabetes over an 18-month period. The evaluation will focus on diabetes control and improvement, appropriate medication use and adherence, and overall health status. Health economic outcomes will also be assessed, including total health care costs and resource utilization.

“Innovative, value-based pharmacist-provided care can improve patient experiences and care quality,” said PQA CEO Laura Cranston, BSPharm, in a prepared statement. “Patient-centered care is the standard to which we all strive, and pharmacy has a vital role in helping patients and those who care for them achieve their goals.”

Results of the study will add to the body of evidence on pharmacist-provided care models. According to PQA, expanding this body of evidence is important to furthering implementation and payment for pharmacist-provided care in value-based models.

“As a trained pharmacist, I know the vital role pharmacists play in the patient journey as a key touchpoint for patients with chronic conditions like diabetes,” said Justin McCarthy, JD, senior vice president of the Patient and Health Impact Group at Pfizer, in a statement. “We are pleased to work with other leaders in the health care sector that share our goal to improve patient care and health outcomes.”

The project will begin in August, and the partners plan to present results in 2022.

REFERENCE

National Healthcare Leaders Collaborate with PQA to Evaluate the Impact of Pharmacist-Provided Care [news release]. Pharmacy Quality Alliance; July 27, 2020. https://www.pqaalliance.org/collaboration-to-evaluate-ppc. Accessed July 27, 2020.