INNOVATIVE PRACTICE FORM

Name Armon Neele---Institutional Pharmacy Consultants

Address 816 Everee Inn Rd. Griffin, GA 30223

Phone # (770) 229-5050

FAX # (770) 229-8704

Briefly describe innovation
This practice was established in 1963. From the start, its main purpose was pharmaceutical care. It is set up like a doctor's office. In the beginning, the patient would come in, give the prescription to the receptionist, and wait to be called to a consultation room. The prescription would be filled somewhere in the back of the establishment. The patient's file would be pulled and the patient would meet with a pharmacist in a private consultation room. Here the patient would be counseled on their medication and disease. Disease state management, prenatal care, and diabetes were the primary concerns. In 1960, nursing homes were added to the list of those served. The practice of counseling became so successful that in 1977, it went total counseling--no dispensing. Now approximately 50% of the patients are geriatric. They also work with a legal firm doing case analyses and forensics and hospitals doing nutritional workups. They have also added long-term care patients to the practice. All patients have retrospective as well as prospective drug therapy reviews done.

Method of Reimbursement
Payor(s) The patients are more than willing to pay for these services.

Is documentation required? Yes. There are three types of documentation.
1. All suggestions made by the pharmacists are documented.
2. Documentation of whether the physicians accept or reject the pharmacists suggestions are made.
3. The expense versus the amount saved is documented. This brings into account adherence, doctor visits, etc.

Specialized training required? No special training is required prior to being hired. Mr. Neele trains the pharmacists once they are hired to be totally patient oriented.

Software/instrumentation required? There is no special software required. This pharmacy relies mostly on the pharmacists' own clinical knowledge. They do have Clinical Pharmacology for reference.

Interviewed by: Wendy Childress