Improving Efficiency through Optimizing Workflow in a Pharmacist-Run Diabetes Clinic Leva Jaberizadeh, Jasmine Peterson, Stephanie Thrall Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia - Atlanta, GA
Background/Purpose: Patients with uncontrolled diabetes are associated with higher overall healthcare expenditure and poorer health outcomes. Pharmacists may collaborate with physicians to manage patients with uncontrolled diabetes through a variety of methods including telephonic pharmacist appointments. A common barrier that pharmacists may encounter is a low response rate from patients. In efforts to improve clinical outcomes and reduce cost, Kaiser Permanente Georgia (KPGA) hired non-clinical support staff to assist ambulatory care clinical pharmacists by scheduling and preparing patients for telephone visits. This study aims to evaluate the impact of hiring non-clinical support staff on improving pharmacist productivity and regionwide diabetes control.
Methodology: In this retrospective cohort study, an electronic medical record was used to evaluate KPGA adult members with Type 2 diabetes. Patients were included if they were contacted via telephone for a diabetes consult with a clinical pharmacist between July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2017. Patients were excluded if they had gestational diabetes, were followed regularly by Endocrine (three or more visits during the study period), prescribed insulin U-500, or using an insulin pump. The primary outcome was to evaluate the average rate of completed telephone encounters per month before and after hiring non-clinical support staff. The secondary outcome was to assess hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) change in patients who had a HbA1c completed within 90 days after clinical pharmacist outreach. The tertiary outcome was call completion rate for scheduled appointments versus cold calls.
Presentation Objective: Describe the impact of hiring non-clinical support staff in scheduling telephone appointments for a team of ambulatory care clinical pharmacists.
Self-Assessment: What is a possible benefit of utilizing non-clinical support staff in scheduling telephone appointments with a clinical pharmacist in an ambulatory care setting?
