NACDS Foundation Awards Grant to University of Iowa to Evaluate Pharmacist-Provided Medication Management in Patient-Centered Accountable Care Organizations

Arlington, Va. – The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation today announced that the University of Iowa has been selected as one of three recipients of grants to evaluate the impact on patient health by the integration of community pharmacy-provided medication management strategies into existing patient-centered care teams, such as patient centered medical homes and accountable care organizations (ACOs).
Emerging health care models such as accountable care organizations are focused on improving patient outcomes by coordinating care across a variety of health care settings. In the ACO model, hospitals, physicians, and other members of the healthcare delivery system collaborate to improve quality and reduce cost of care.  
One potential key to these savings is improving medication adherence – the rate at which patients take their medications as prescribed.  NEHI reports that only 50 percent of patients take their medications properly as prescribed by their doctor, which costs the nation more than $290 billion in needless health spending each year. 
“The impact of community pharmacy-provided medication management strategies on patient outcomes has yet to be analyzed in a meaningful way in these models. As a result, patients may not be receiving medication adherence interventions or medication therapy management,” said Kathleen Jaeger, president of the NACDS Foundation.  “We look forward to assessing the impact on patient outcomes, and we are excited to have the University of Iowa as a research partner.” 
“The research we are implementing will create a meaningful link between community pharmacists and physicians in the Trinity Pioneer ACO that we hope will improve the health outcomes of Iowans through more coordinated care,” added lead researcher Dr. William Doucette, professor and head, division of health services research, University of Iowa College of Pharmacy. “When health care providers work as a team, patients benefit and costs decrease, and that is exactly what we aim to see in this study.”
The University of Iowa will partner with Trinity Pioneer ACO, which includes Trimark Physicians Group, Trinity Regional Medical Center, Berryhill Center for Mental Health and Iowa Health Home Care, OutcomesMTM, the Iowa Pharmacy Association, and twenty-five community pharmacies to analyze the impact of integrating community pharmacy and advanced medication management strategies within an existing Pioneer ACO in central Iowa.  Trinity Pioneer ACO serves approximately 7,700 Medicare beneficiaries.  The project will operate for two years across eight counties in Iowa.  

NACDS Foundation Research Grant Background and Approval Process
The University of Nebraska Medical Center and the North Dakota State University join the University of Iowa as the three grant recipients that will each evaluate the impact on patient outcomes of innovative medication management strategies in existing medical homes and ACOs.
As part of their research proposals, each of the three academic institutions partnered with key healthcare entities to engage in a collaboration and coordination of medication management patient care services.  Each research project will be funded by the NACDS Foundation for a two-year period, and each project will be conducted by a physician-led coordinated care team that incorporates community pharmacy as a partner. 
The NACDS Foundation released a request for proposals in early 2012 seeking proposals from research and academic institutions active in leading the evolution in healthcare delivery.  More than 40 high-caliber proposals were received and reviewed by an independent review committee which was comprised of experts in the fields of public health, health policy, academic research and industry.  Each proposal was evaluated based on the rigors and breadth of its community pharmacy-provided medication management strategy and approach to coordination of care.