Insight Spring 2020

Spring 2020 | 10 Spring 2020 | 11 Tap CPESN Paying it Forward The pharmacy industry is changing dramatically. Like with anything, some businesses will embrace and adapt to evolution, and some will be left behind. QS/1, as the premier pharmacy software provider, recognizes change as an opportunity to innovate and do more. The Community Pharmacy Enhanced Services Network (CPESN) was created by pharmacists for pharmacists to reinvent the practice of pharmacy. And QS/1 has been on the forefront – helping to lead the charge. CPESN is about patients, not prescriptions. It’s about enhanced clinical care, transparent collaboration, and pharmacists being reimbursed for their expertise and the services they provide that improve patient health outcomes and lower overall healthcare costs. As your strategic partner, we want to see your pharmacy develop, grow, and thrive. So, in each edition of Insight , we’re dedicating a feature to CPESN to ensure you’re in the know. Let’s be and do more…together. Ed Vess, R.Ph., Director of Pharmacy Professional Affairs In June 2019, the Community Pharmacy Foundation (CPF) and CPESN USA announced a five-year partnership using a grant aiming to transform community- based pharmacies through a new, dynamic program, Flip the Pharmacy . Its goal is to flip pharmacy from a professionally unsustainable, point-in- time, prescription-level practice model to a professionally sustainable, longitudinal, patient-level practice model. For years, community pharmacy advocates have dedicated resources and efforts to innovative practice models that result in better clinical outcomes and lower overall healthcare costs. Although there’s clear evidence of the advantages, we’ve never been able to gain enough scale to have significant impact on the payment and policy models. Flip the Pharmacy provides a structured process with enough intensity and duration to support pharmacies after their transformation is complete. The 24-stage transformation process uses practice transformation coaches and establishes accountability with specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely (SMART) methodologies, across six transformation domains. Transformation Domains 1. Leveraging the Appointment-Based Model 2. Improving Patient Follow-Up and Monitoring 3. Developing New Roles for Non- Pharmacist Support Staff 4. Optimizing the Utilization of Technology and Electronic Care Plans 5. Establishing Working Relationships with Other Care Team Members 6. Developing the Business Model and Expressing Value Program Endeavors Over the five-year partnership, the program aims to graduate more than 1,000 pharmacies from a two-year transformation process, modeled after similar Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation efforts in primary care practices across the country. Additional program goals include: y y Non-product-based reimbursement revenue y y Care Plan submissions y y Screenings for behavioral health conditions y y Reductions in systolic blood pressure and HbA1c percentages y y Lowered cholesterol in patients with associated chronic conditions y y Completion of social determinants of health screenings Implementation Guide The change packets used by practice transformation coaches are available to any pharmacy interested in working to transform their practice setting. Change packets are released monthly and are designed to build upon the successes and challenges of previous packets, making the program design and processes available to all. Access packet materials on the Flip the Pharmacy website at www. flipthepharmacy.com/change-packages. Your Strategic Partner An early supporter of pharmacists practicing at the top of their license and training, QS/1 was involved in Community Care of North Carolina’s (CCNC) efforts. CCNC was highly successful in providing better patient care and outcomes by engaging pharmacists in patient-centered care. As part of the Pharmacists eCare Plan pilot project, QS/1 has been engaged with the development of this technical tool to improve communication with other members of the patient care team. As a Flip the Pharmacy program partner, we believe more pharmacist involvement leads to better patient outcomes. For additional information on the CPF, CPESN, and Flip the Pharmacy , visit the following: www.communitypharmacyfoundation.org www.cpesn.com www.flipthepharmacy.com Richard Edmund, Staff Writer Editor’s Note: QS/1 knows the important role community pharmacies play in the towns and cities where they care for patients. But still, every day, we are amazed when we hear stories about the lengths community pharmacists go to give back. Beginning in this edition of Insight magazine, QS/1’s editorial staff will chronicle some of those stories and shine a bright light on the philanthropic efforts that touch the lives of so many. We hope these stories inspire you to pay it forward and prove community pharmacy not only improves our health but affirms our faith in humanity. The town of Taylorsville, NC, is nestled where the mountains of the western part of the state meet the Piedmont region. The town of about 2,200 residents in the Tar Heel state was formed in 1847. Nearly 60% of the town’s 173 years in existence, the residents of Taylorsville have been served by Peoples Drug Store. Rowe Campbell, Sr. became a pharmacist and opened the store in 1918. “Most businesses use the proprietor’s name so people can identify it,” said Phil Icard, R.Ph., and current owner of Peoples Drug Store. “Mr. Campbell wanted this pharmacy to belong to the people of Taylorsville, which is why he went with that name.” Rowe Campbell, Sr., and later his son Rowe Campbell, Jr., were known not only for filling and dispensing prescriptions for the town’s residents, but also for the time they spent helping others. Icard tells stories of Campbell, Sr. not taking a salary for months at a time to ensure his patients got the medications they needed but could not afford. The senior Rowe Campbell also believed in education and served on the county’s board of education working to improve standards for school-age children in his rural community. To keep their memory in the minds of Taylorsville, and to help improve the education of those in the town, Icard recently started a scholarship program. “Education is important, and the Campbells realized that,” Icard said. “I wanted to honor their memory and our pharmacy’s rich past while looking to the future and helping a local high-school student. Last year, we started awarding the Rowe B. Campbell Scholarship to a student majoring in a health-related field.” The scholarship does not require the student go to pharmacy school to qualify. “If they want to become a nurse, a physical therapist, or even a pharmacist, we want to encourage that effort,” Icard added. Alexander Central High School is the only high school in this small North Carolina county. When Icard announced the scholarship program, the school had 270 students set to graduate. The pharmacy staff worked with the school’s guidance counselors to spread the word and encourage students to apply. It didn’t take long for more than a dozen students to put their names in for consideration. Given the small graduating class, the response was considered above average. The work to pare the list from just under 20 students to one was underway. Being in a small town, Icard and his staff didn’t want to appear biased when they selected the first scholarship recipient. The solution was simple. “We had the school remove the names before they sent us the scholarship applications,” Icard said. “We only looked at the students’ grades and read a short essay they submitted. The essay was to give us an idea of the student’s goals as they moved into the healthcare field.” A team of three at Peoples Drug Store reviewed the applicants and then met to discuss who they thought would be the best recipient. When the process was over, Icard and his staff awarded the first Rowe B. Campbell scholarship to a young lady who started her freshmen year at Lenoir Rhyne University, majoring in physical therapy. “We don’t want people to forget the great things Mr. Campbell and his son did for our community,” Icard added. “This scholarship not only helps a deserving student, but it also serves as a reminder of the kind generosity the Campbell family bestowed on the residents of Taylorsville. Having his name on the scholarship is a tribute not only to the man, but also to his works.” Icard said the pharmacy will award the scholarship each year to a new graduating senior. He and the staff can’t wait to see the next batch of applicants who will go on to help others in the legacy that is Peoples Drug Store. We want to hear and share your stories. If your pharmacy has an effort to pay it forward, send the information to payingitforward@smithtech.com. The Rowe B. Campbell Scholarship OPEN Community Pharmacy OPEN Community Pharmacy It’s Time: Flip the Pharmacy