uburn
University’s Harrison School of Pharmacy (HSOP) focuses on improving the
outcomes of health and decreasing health care expense. The Auburn University
Pharmaceutical Care Center (AUPCC) has been a big player in the School’s
commitment. Recently the AUPCC received an opportunity to do more through a
grant from the Public Education Employee Health Insurance Program (PEEHIP).
This is a pilot project in which patients of that program will receive a
special medication therapy management program free of charge from the AUPCC.
According to HSOP’s Dean, Dr. Lee Evans, “This work has the potential to
become a landmark study at a national level.”
The AUPCC will operate two practice sites for this demonstration project:
the Auburn site for Lee and
Macon counties, and a new facility in Birmingham for Shelby and
Jefferson counties. The program offers assistance to those who meet
certain criteria and
who can visit the center on the Auburn University campus, or the location
in Birmingham, for consultation sessions. The target audience is PEEHIP
policyholders or family members who meet certain criteria that include
taking five or more medications on a regular basis, having a chronic
condition such as asthma that has required two or more emergency room
visits in the past year, or being hospitalized during the previous 12
months. According to Dr. Kimberly Braxton Lloyd, Clinical Director of the AUPCC, "Some patients tell us they know more about taking care of their
car than their body. We want to change that, and this new opportunity with
PEEHIP will help expand our services within the State.
Employers and insurers throughout the nation are facing a common challenge
— how to provide medical care and prescription benefits for their active
and retired employees in the face of the escalating costs of providing
healthcare.
Emily
Mann, MSN, RN, the Director of Clinical Operations at AUPCC, said, "Goals
for the program include helping patients optimize their medications,
monitor side effects and adverse reactions to prescriptions and
over-the-counter medications, and avoid duplications in drug therapies."
The services are available to anyone covered under PEEHIP, whether
actively employed, or a family member covered through family coverage for
active employees, or retirees with PEEHIP coverage. "We are not currently
providing services to those who do not fit the specific criteria since
this is funded through a grant from PEEHIP, and is meant to impact those
with the greatest need," noted Mann.
Following acceptance into the program, a pharmacist will schedule a
one-on-one meeting with patients in the program to review medical history
and if necessary conduct screening tests for cholesterol, body mass index,
osteoporosis, and glucose. Dr. Braxton-Lloyd explains further, "A clinical
pharmacist will review and evaluate your current drug therapies, provide
screenings and counseling to assist you in making positive lifestyle
changes, and help you to manage your health and your healthcare through
information. We will then work with your physician to manage your
medications.”
Programs available in the AUPCC program which will be funded by PEEHIP
include: "Healthy Habits" (wellness program); "Take Control" (for women);
"Breathe Easy" (for individuals with asthma); "Pack It Up" (to stop
smoking); and, "Is Your Stomach Bugging You?" (for patients with chronic
stomach problems).
The
Auburn University Pharmaceutical Care Center (AUPCC) has been providing
care for Auburn University employees and dependents for the last four
years. High risk patients have been encouraged by their doctors to
participate in the clinic in an attempt to improve the way medications are
being used. Faculty and staff members work with patients’ other providers
to coordinate drug therapy and help patients better understand their
treatments. The AUPCC has also focused on wellness issues to assist
participants in changing high risk behaviors.
The program has been a great success and there are plans for expansion.
For
additional information about this free service to PEEHIP members, contact
the AUPCC in Auburn at 334-844-4099, by fax at 334-844-4019, or by email at
aupcc4u@auburn.edu. The service is available in Birmingham, by scheduled
appointment only, through the AUPCC site at 100 Centerview Drive, Suite
210 (in the Chambers Building). PEEHIP members in the Birmingham area
should call 205-978-9022 or email aupcc4u@auburn.edu for
additional information.