Pharmacist eCare Plan (PeCP) Standard is Used Between Providers to Improve Coordination of Care and Patient Health Outcomes
The NCPDP Foundation Board of Trustees, who govern the 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization that is affiliated with NCPDP, has awarded a $100,000 grant to University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Pharmacy for a research project to demonstrate the clinical value of integrating the NCPDP/HL7 Pharmacist eCare Plan (PeCP) in pharmacy and medical software systems. The Pharmacist eCare Plan is used for exchange with the patient and their care team to document medication-related health concerns and goals, as well as the pharmacist’s assessments, planned activities and interventions, recommendations, referrals, and related clinical services.
NCPDP Foundation Chair, Mindy D. Smith, BSPharm, R.Ph., MHA, explained, “This is an important research project that will prove the value of timely and effective clinical interventions that can be achieved when physicians and pharmacists work collaboratively to coordinate and improve patient care. We look forward to sharing the results of the research with our donors and the industry in the near future.”
In the UTHSC College of Pharmacy research project, the PeCP will be connected to the physician’s electronic health record (EHR) system through an HL7 FHIR® data exchange, enabling the care team to communicate transitions of care interventions and infectious disease point-of-care testing results more seamlessly, removing a key barrier to collaboration among the patient care team.
“Technology is a critical component of increasing access to pharmacist-delivered patient care,” said Kenneth C. Hohmeier, Pharm.D., Primary Investigator for the study. “Clinical services like medication management and transitions of care become easier to implement and scale when we reduce the time the pharmacist spends on things like making telephone calls and faxing prescribers.”
Clinical outcomes that will be measured include hospital admissions and readmissions for a defined patient population, and implementation outcomes will measure providers’ experience with the eCare Plan. Pharmacists and physicians will use the PeCP to share information about medication therapy management care plans for patients whose vitals are being actively monitored remotely by a telehealth provider. The project will leverage the strong relationship between researchers and practitioners at UTHSC College of Pharmacy, Mac’s Pharmacy, FDS Inc., and CometMD.
“We are excited to work with UTHSC, Mac’s Pharmacy, and CometMD on this innovation that will transform team-based care through streamlined communication and bridge the ever-present gap between the pharmacist and the rest of the healthcare team,” said Jason Ausili, Pharm.D., Chief Clinical Officer for FDS.
About NCPDP Foundation
The NCPDP Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona and is affiliated with the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP). The NCPDP Foundation was established in December 2012 to support research, education, and charitable involvement within the healthcare industry. For more information, visit http://ncpdpfoundation.org.
