The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) commends the American Association of Retired People (AARP) Public Policy Institute for its recent study report, “Beyond 50.09 Chronic Care: A Call to Action for Health Reform.” The survey of chronically ill patients and their caregivers finds health care poses significant challenges for the 70 million Americans 50 and older who have at least one chronic condition. The survey is part of a larger report, “Chronic Care: A Call to Action for Health Reform,” which details the state of chronic care and offers recommendations for improving care for the chronically ill as part of comprehensive health reform.

The AARP report makes several recommendations to improve care for the chronically ill, including:

- Increasing the use of health information technology so that doctors, patients and caregivers have the information they need, when they need it;

- Expanding testing of care delivery models to find out what works and including best practices for chronic disease care in training for doctors and other health professionals;

- Making innovative changes to payment policy to encourage better performance and outcomes;

- Making preventive care and medications more affordable to avoid preventable chronic diseases altogether and to better treat those that do occur; and

- Ensuring an adequate workforce and making the most of the workforce we have, including fostering interdisciplinary teams and identifying nurses and pharmacists as team leaders, as appropriate.

“The report supports many of the reforms that APhA has been advocating for in healthcare reform including improving quality and safety of medication use, which is particularly important for the chronically ill,” said John A Gans, APhA’s executive vice president and chief executive officer. “Pharmacists can play an essential role in improving medication use”

This assertion is supported by several findings in the report about the role that pharmacists can play in health care reform including:

- Providers need to spend more time talking with patients about drug therapies and emphasizing the importance of adhering to them or discussing why they should be stopped. People with chronic illness and their caregivers need to be more proactive in managing care-keeping an up-to-date list of all medicines being used and sharing it with every health professional who writes prescriptions and with all pharmacists involved in a patient’s care. A pharmacist might be able to recommend changes to simplify dosages, minimize side effects, eliminate duplicate medicines, and provide lower-cost options.

- Patients should consider medication therapy management programs and drug reviews, which all Medicare plans offer to targeted patients with high drug costs. Some health plans and pharmacists also offer these services.

An increasing evidence base indicates that pharmacists help keep health care costs down through pharmacist-provided patient care services, such as educating patients on how to take their prescription medications properly and safely, as well as administering health screenings and immunizations. With current costs to the health care system to treat chronic diseases at $1.3 trillion annually, taking medications properly can help prevent the need for catastrophic or emergency care.

As the third largest and most accessible health care profession, pharmacists play a critical role in providing accessible, affordable and quality health care for patients. APhA looks forward to working with the Administration, healthcare organizations and patient advocacy groups such as AARP to address the vital issue of health-care reform.

About the American Pharmacists Association (APhA)

The American Pharmacists Association, founded in 1852 as the American Pharmaceutical Association, represents more than 62,000 practicing pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, student pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and others interested in advancing the profession. APhA, dedicated to helping all pharmacists improve medication use and advance patient care, is the first-established and largest association of pharmacists in the United States. APhA members provide care in all practice settings, including community pharmacies, health systems, long-term care facilities, managed care organizations, hospice settings, and the uniformed services.

Source
American Pharmacists Association