INNOVATIVE PRACTICE FORM

Name: Joe Howell, Owner

Address: Dowagiac Pharmacy, 223 South Front St., Dowagiac MI 49047

Phone #:616-782-8900

FAX #: 616-782-9346

E-mail/Information service: N/A

Briefly describe innovation:

Dowagiac Pharmacy focuses on the provision of counseling and the development of a unique patient-pharmacist relationship. To accomplish this, Mr. Howell first modified the physical aspects of his pharmacy. He kept his dispensing area small and enlarged the counseling area. He also added a section for compounding. Next, he gave his pharmacy technicians much more responsibility. Mr. Howell trained his technicians to interpret all prescriptions, enter them into the computer, and dispense the medications. The technicians also handle all phone calls from patients and doctors. Since the technicians now control all of the dispensing, Mr. Howell has time to greet and counsel patients in the front of the store. He always counsels patients for new disease states and all new medications. The rest of the time he handles in-store patient requests such as questions about signs/symptoms, the use of a drug, new herbal remedies, etc. Mr. Howell also gives blood pressure readings and provides his patients with a chart on which to document their blood pressure. He said most of his patients take this chart with them to the doctor. Mr. Howell thinks the extra time he is spending with patients not only improves his job satisfaction, but has also increased his customer base.

Method of Reimbursement

Payor(s): Mr. Howell is not currently being reimbursed for the services he provides, but he is in the process of setting up such a system.

Reimbursement rate In the future, Mr. Howell wants to charge $3 for counseling that takes 3 minutes or less and $6 for sessions taking longer than 5 minutes. He will base this fee on the patient's ability to pay.

Is documentation required? No, Mr. Howell is not currently documenting his interventions. However, he will start this soon.

Specialized training required? Yes. Mr. Howell has 5 pharmacy technicians on staff. He taught one technician everything he knew, and together they trained the others how to use the computer and handle all of the dispensing responsibilities.

Software/instrumentation required? Yes. Mr. Howell has Carestream Encounter software in his pharmacy, which is a program similar to PharmCare. This software will enable him to document interventions and apply for reimbursement.

Interviewed by: Sandi MeGrady