Pharmacy Telehealth Services: Perspectives From an Academic Medical Center

Telehealth allows patients to receive healthcare with the aid of technology by overcoming physical barriers. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic created challenges with regards to in person patient care. The use of video visits and telehealth increased in a rapid manner due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this paper is to describe telehealth services utilized by pharmacists at a large, academic medical center. Pharmacists teaching and clinical services conducted via telehealth and remote methods in the inpatient and outpatient settings are discussed. The tools and platforms utilized for patient care, staff communications, and education are described. Telehealth is likely to remain in many clinical practices even after restrictions due to COVID-19 are removed; however, as we transition, a more sustainable model that includes faculty and staff development is needed. Additionally, clinical outcomes and patient and provider satisfaction for the varying visit types should continue to be examined. Although the switch to telehealth was rapid and unprecedented, it allowed a large academic medical center to continue providing patient care and learning experiences for most clinical pharmacy services.

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Knowledge management in the era of digital medicine: A programmatic approach to optimize patient care in an academic medical center

Learning Health Systems ◽

10.1002/lrh2.10022 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. e10022 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jane L. Shellum ◽

Rick A. Nishimura ◽

Dawn S. Milliner ◽

Charles M. Harper ◽

John H. Noseworthy

Keyword(s):

Knowledge Management ◽

Patient Care ◽

Medical Center ◽

Academic Medical Center ◽

Digital Medicine ◽

Academic Medical

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RR1. Vascular Surgeon Contribution to Patient Care at a Tertiary Academic Medical Center

Journal of Vascular Surgery ◽

10.1016/j.jvs.2015.04.354 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 61 (6) ◽

pp. 187S-188S

Author(s):

Yana Etkin ◽

Julia D. Glaser ◽

Ronald M. Fairman ◽

Scott M. Damrauer ◽

Grace J. Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Patient Care ◽

Medical Center ◽

Academic Medical Center ◽

Vascular Surgeon ◽

Academic Medical

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Attitudes and Behavior towards Interprofessional Collaboration among Healthcare Professionals in a Large Academic Medical Center

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare8030323 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 323

Author(s):

Benjamin E. Ansa ◽

Sunitha Zechariah ◽

Amy M. Gates ◽

Stephanie W. Johnson ◽

Vahé Heboyan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Patient Care ◽

Interprofessional Education ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Interprofessional Collaboration ◽

Medical Center ◽

Core Competencies ◽

Academic Medical Center ◽

Healthcare Team ◽

Interprofessional Communication ◽

Academic Medical

The increasing rates of comorbidities among patients and the complexity of care have warranted interprofessional collaboration (IPC) as an important component of the healthcare structure. An initial step towards assessing the effectiveness of collaboration requires the exploration of the attitudes and experience of healthcare professionals towards IPC. This online survey aimed to examine the attitudes of healthcare professionals working in a large public academic medical center toward IPC in patient care and the healthcare team, and their behavior and experience regarding IPC. The rankings, according to the perceived importance among the respondents, of the four Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) core competencies (values/ethics, roles/responsibilities, interprofessional communication, teams/teamwork) were assessed. There were strong but varying levels of consensus among healthcare professionals (N = 551) that IPC facilitates efficient patient care, improves patient problem-solving ability, and increases better clinical outcomes for patients. They acknowledged that IPC promotes mutual respect within the healthcare team and providers’ ability to make optimal patient care decisions. However, overall more than 35% of the respondents did not attend multidisciplinary education sessions (grand rounds, seminars, etc.), and about 23% did not participate in bedside patient care rounds. Interprofessional communication was ranked as the most important IPEC core competence. Although the attitude towards IPC among healthcare professionals is strongly positive, many healthcare professionals face challenges in participating in IPC. Institutional policies that facilitate interprofessional learning and interactions for this group of healthcare professionals should be formulated. Online distance learning and interactions, and simulation-enhanced interprofessional education, are options for addressing this barrier. Hospital administrators should facilitate conducive work environments that promote IPC, based on IPEC core competencies, and promote programs that address the challenges of IPC.

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Impact of an innovative partnership in patient care between an academic medical center department of pharmacy and a school of pharmacy

American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy ◽

10.1093/ajhp/zxz250 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 76 (24) ◽

pp. 2070-2076

Author(s):

Mary-Haston Vest ◽

Mary G Petrovskis ◽

Scott W Savage ◽

Nicole R Pinelli ◽

Ashley L Pappas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Patient Care ◽

Medical Center ◽

Academic Medical Center ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Residency Programs ◽

Pharmacy Department ◽

Academic Medical ◽

American Society ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

Abstract Purpose Pharmacy departments and schools of pharmacy have long held professional affiliations. However, the success of each entity is often not interdependent and aligned. In 2010, our institutions found ourselves in a position where the complementary motivations of each aligned to support a more meaningful and committed engagement, leading to the development of the Partnership in Patient Care. The impact of the partnership was evaluated 7 years postimplementation, and both the successes realized and the lessons learned are described. Summary The partnership provided many advantages to our pharmacy department and the school of pharmacy. This initial iteration of the partnership was a strong proof of concept that an intentional approach to the relationship between a school of pharmacy and a pharmacy department can lead to substantive improvements in a wide array of meaningful outcomes. We experienced an increase in the number of student rotation months completed, growth in the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists–accredited residency programs, and enhanced clinical services. However, the partnership was not without challenges. For instance, lack of a formalized tracking method made certain outcomes difficult to track. Conclusion The purposeful establishment of the Partnership in Patient Care, built on the needs of a school of pharmacy and an academic medical center pharmacy department, allowed our institutions to develop an intertwined mission and vision. Over the initial years of the partnership, many successes were realized and lessons were learned. Both the successes and the challenges are serving as the foundation for future iterations of the partnership.

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Feasibility of medication coordination with lay navigators in outpatient oncology clinics.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2018.36.30_suppl.81 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 36 (30_suppl) ◽

pp. 81-81

Author(s):

Katherine P. Morgan ◽

Jean B. Sellers ◽

Benyam Muluneh ◽

Megan Carlson ◽

William Allen Wood ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Patient Care ◽

Medical Center ◽

Academic Medical Center ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Direct Patient Care ◽

Assistance Program ◽

Clinic Staff ◽

Medication Access ◽

Training And Supervision ◽

Academic Medical

81 Background: Significant obstacles exist with approval and payment of oncology medications for both the patient and pharmacy team. Our medication assistance program is supported by the clinical pharmacist (CP) and clinic staff. Many tasks are time consuming, interrupt patient care and may create medication access delays. Patients also need assistance with health insurance literacy and have minimal understanding of medication assistance resources. Lay navigators (LN) are volunteers who assist cancer patients overcome barriers to care. They are trained to work in tandem with clinical staff while linking patients to financial resources. A pilot was developed to determine the feasibility and value of integrating LN support within the pharmacy team. Methods: Four LN were integrated into oncology clinics. Tasks were assigned to the LN under the supervision of the CP. The LN documented tasks executed, entities and patients they communicated with and time spent on each encounter. Results: From April to June 2018, 4 LN were available 2 to 4 hours per week. The LN completed 46 interventions for 20 patients (Table 1). Average time spent on each intervention was 19 minutes. Over the 9-week pilot period the LN saved clinic staff a total of 10.87 hours. LN survey feedback was positive and 75% of the LN report confidence when communicating with patients about medication access. Conclusions: We have demonstrated that LN can be utilized as a pharmacy advocate for medication coordination in oncology clinics at our academic medical center. LN satisfaction was high and time savings allowed CP to focus on direct patient care. The model is cost effective and requires few resources other than financial toxicity training and supervision. Future steps will include determining financial impact, patient satisfaction and expansion into additional clinics.[Table: see text]

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Abstract 17099: Implementation of a High Sensitivity Troponin-I Assay in an Academic Medical Center: A Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.142.suppl_3.17099 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽

Author(s):

David Winchester ◽

Omkar Betageri ◽

Patrick Perche ◽

Brandon Allen ◽

Ryan Theis

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Medical Center ◽

Academic Medical Center ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

The United States ◽

Individual Characteristics ◽

Health Care Facilities ◽

Clinical Practices ◽

High Sensitivity Troponin ◽

Academic Medical

Background: High sensitivity troponin assays (hsTn) have received regulatory approval for use in the United States and health care facilities are beginning to adopt these new assays. Questions remain about how to implement these assays and what affect they may have on demand for cardiovascular services. Methods and Results: We conducted a mixed-methods implementation science-based investigation of hsTn adoption at a single academic medical center. We designed the investigation based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, exploring clinicians’ perspectives on intervention characteristics, inner setting, individual characteristics, and process of implementation domains. Focus groups were conducted with clinicians from multiple service lines. Participants reported that the new hsTn assay did not fundamentally change processes of care such as cardiology consultations or inpatient admissions. Implementation was facilitated by leveraging the electronic medical record to provide useful suggestions for hsTn management at the point-of-care. Participants expressed satisfaction with the multidisciplinary and collaborative approach taken to educating clinicians prior to implementation. The use of case-based teaching was considered most effective. Emergency department clinicians expressed greater confidence about decisions to discharge to home with the hsTn assay, compared to the older assay. Areas of ongoing concern included management of high risk patients, outpatient follow-up, and feasibility of accelerated diagnostic protocols for early discharge from the emergency department. Deidentified quantitative data on cardiovascular service use were gathered from administrative sources and analyzed on runcharts. A decrease in the number of hsTn assays ordered was observed; no change was noted for admissions, cardiology consultations, or noninvasive cardiac imaging. Conclusions: A comprehensive educational campaign, based on multidisciplinary collaboration can effectively prepare clinicians for implementation of hsTn. New hsTn assays may not have any substantial effect of acute management of patients with cardiac complaints. Many questions remain about best clinical practices for hsTn assays.

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Development of a Nurse Staffing Model to Accurately Reflect Complexity and Intensity of Patient Care Needs in an Urban Academic Medical Center

Journal of Obstetric Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing ◽

10.1111/1552-6909.12722 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 44 ◽

pp. S40

Author(s):

Joan L. Torbet ◽

Marleen Mulkeen ◽

Lynn Stringer ◽

Kate Fitzpatrick

Keyword(s):

Patient Care ◽

Medical Center ◽

Academic Medical Center ◽

Nurse Staffing ◽

Care Needs ◽

Staffing Model ◽

Academic Medical

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Comparison of Direct Patient Care Costs and Quality Outcomes of the Teaching and Nonteaching Hospitalist Services at a Large Academic Medical Center

Academic Medicine ◽

10.1097/acm.0000000000002026 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 93 (3) ◽

pp. 491-497 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jose A. Perez ◽

Melina Awar ◽

Aryan Nezamabadi ◽

Richard Ogunti ◽

Mamta Puppala ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Patient Care ◽

Medical Center ◽

Academic Medical Center ◽

Direct Patient Care ◽

Quality Outcomes ◽

Academic Medical ◽

Care Costs

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Descriptive Epidemiology of Safety Events at an Academic Medical Center

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17010353 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 353

Author(s):

Alexandre R. Marra ◽

Abdullah Algwizani ◽

Mohammed Alzunitan ◽

Theresa M. H. Brennan ◽

Michael B. Edmond

Keyword(s):

Patient Safety ◽

Patient Care ◽

Surveillance System ◽

Medical Center ◽

Academic Medical Center ◽

Incident Reporting ◽

Near Miss ◽

Descriptive Epidemiology ◽

Near Misses ◽

Academic Medical

Background: Adverse safety events in healthcare are of great concern, and despite an increasing focus on the prevention of error and harm mitigation, the epidemiology of safety events remains incomplete. Methods: We performed an analysis of all reported safety events in an academic medical center using a voluntary incident reporting surveillance system for patient safety. Safety events were classified as: serious (reached the patient and resulted in moderate to severe harm or death); precursor (reached the patient and resulted in minimal or no detectable harm); and near miss (did not reach the patient). Results: During a three-year period, there were 31,817 events reported. Most of the safety events were precursor safety events (reached the patient and resulted in minimal harm or no detectable harm), corresponding to 77.3%. Near misses accounted for 10.8%, and unsafe conditions for 11.8%. The number of reported serious safety events was low, accounting for only 0.1% of all safety events. Conclusions: The reports analysis of these events should lead to a better understanding of risks in patient care and ways to mitigate it.

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