Project IMPACT: Diabetes Final Outcomes Demonstrate the Value of Pharmacists on the Healthcare Team

PRESS RELEASE

WASHINGTON, DC (September 15, 2014) — Results of the APhA Foundation’s Project IMPACT: Diabetes, published today in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association (JAPhA), demonstrate how pharmacists and other healthcare providers can work together to successfully empower patients disproportionately affected by diabetes to achieve improved clinical outcomes.

Two peer-reviewed articles, released in an online-first edition of JAPhA, collectively highlight the clinical and process outcomes as well as the unique characteristics of the patients and care delivery in the local communities that participated in the project. A print version of both articles will also appear in the September/October issue of JAPhA.

Over 2,200 patients received care during Project IMPACT: Diabetes, and data analysis indicates that the population experienced a statistically and clinically significant decrease in A1C, a key indicator of the severity of diabetes, after receiving team-based diabetes care that included pharmacists. The results demonstrate how patient-focused, collaborative care that includes pharmacists can positively impact health outcomes, particularly in underserved or uninsured populations.

Project IMPACT: Diabetes was launched in 2010 with support from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation’s Together on Diabetes initiative. In an effort to enhance access to quality healthcare, the project integrated pharmacists into diabetes care teams in 25 diverse communities with high incidences of diabetes or populations of patients with uncontrolled diabetes or limited access to quality healthcare. Pharmacists met one-on-one with patients to provide clinical services, including targeted education about diabetes, guidance on proper medication use, and coaching to achieve lifestyle changes. The communities were located in 17 states across the country and included care delivery within federally qualified health centers, community pharmacies, free clinics, physician offices, and employer worksites.

All participating communities included pharmacists on the diabetes care team, collected a minimum dataset related to the care that was being delivered, and employed the APhA Foundation’s Patient Self-Management Credential for Diabetes to customize care delivery based on the patient’s baseline knowledge about diabetes. The communities were given flexibility to customize additional care strategies in order to best meet the needs of their patients. Approaches outlined in JAPhA include group education classes, joint provider visits, grocery store tours, cooking classes and transportation incentives.

One year following the end of the patient care study period, 100% of communities report sustaining team-based care that includes pharmacists’ patient care services. The members of each healthcare team collaborating with pharmacists were as diverse as the implementation strategies and patient populations. Across the project126 pharmacists, 96 physicians, 37 nurse practitioners, 22 dietitians, 19 patient or health advocates, 11 social workers and over 100 other various healthcare team members were engaged in providing collaborative care. The final multilevel modeling statistical analysis of the clinical data results controlled for differences between each community.

Results from Project IMPACT: Diabetes show that patient health outcomes can improve through team-based care that includes pharmacists and that the model can be sustainably implemented in many different practice settings. To learn more, please visit www.aphafoundation.org or www.projectimpactdiabetes.org.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN PHARMACISTS ASSOCIATION (APhA) FOUNDATION

The American Pharmacists Assocation (APhA) Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., is a trusted source of research demonstrating how pharmacists can improve health care. The APhA Foundation’s mission is to improve people’s health through pharmacists’ patient care services. The APhA Foundation is affiliated with the American Pharmacists Association, the national professional society of pharmacists in the U.S. Follow the APhA Foundation on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates.

ABOUT TOGETHER ON DIABETES™

Together on Diabetes™ is a five-year, $115 million initiative launched in November 2010 by the Bristol- Myers Squibb Foundation to improve health outcomes of people living with type 2 diabetes in China, India and the United States by strengthening patient self-management, education, community-based supportive services and broad-based community mobilization. Consistent with the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation’s mission to promote health equity, this initiative targets adult populations disproportionately affected by type 2 diabetes.