NACDS Foundation Awards $1.8 Million in Research Grants to Study Pharmacist Collaboration with Patients following Hospital Discharge

Arlington, Va. – The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation today announced the recipients of three research grants totaling $1.8 million to study the impact of pharmacist-collaboration in helping patients manage their medications and avoid readmissions following discharge from the hospital. 
The NACDS Foundation awarded each of the following entities a grant of $600,000 to conduct a two-year research project:
The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy and the University of Mississippi Medical Center will examine the impact of pharmacist-provided medication management on hospital readmissions in several communities in Mississippi. Additional partners include the Mississippi Division of Medicaid and 20 Walgreens pharmacies.
Geisinger Health System will work with 37 diverse community pharmacies to analyze the impact of pharmacist collaboration for high-risk patients – both inpatients and outpatients – and pharmacist-provided continuous care follow-up on hospital readmissions across the state of Pennsylvania. Additional partners include Wilkes University College of Pharmacy and Nursing, Keystone Health Information Exchange, CareSite pharmacies, Weis pharmacies, Medicine Shoppe pharmacies, Medicap pharmacy, and Harrold’s pharmacy.
The Health Collaborative will partner with The Kroger Co., HealthBridge, and the University of Cincinnati’s James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy to study the impact of integrating electronic health information with pharmacist-provided medication management following a patient’s discharge from the hospital in several counties in Ohio.  Additional partners include the Greater Cincinnati Health Council, American Mercy Home Care, UC Health, the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, UC Health West Chester Hospital, selected Mercy Health Hospitals, and 45 Kroger pharmacies in the Cincinnati-Dayton Marketing area.
Nearly one in five Medicare patients is readmitted to a hospital within 30 days of discharge, leading to $26 billion in healthcare costs annually.  Many of these readmissions are preventable and, as a result, hospitals are designing new discharge planning processes and implementing innovative intervention strategies to improve transitions of care.
The NACDS Foundation released a request for proposals in July 2013 seeking proposals from research and academic institutions active in leading the evolution in healthcare delivery.  More than 30 high-caliber proposals were received and reviewed by an independent review committee comprised of experts in the fields of public health, community pharmacy, and academic research.
“This research is so important to the advancement of patient care and we look forward to better understanding the impact of pharmacists’ collaboration with patients after they leave the hospital,” said NACDS Foundation President Kathleen Jaeger.  “Too often hospital discharges lead to a revolving door of readmissions.  The research will explore the impact of pharmacist-led medication management on medication adherence at hospital discharge, examining how medication adherence can advance patient health, reduce hospital readmissions and help reduce unnecessary healthcare expenditures.”