Pharmacists and Population Health

<p>Amanda Schartel, PharmD, BCACP - Clinical Pharmacy Specialist with <a href='https://christianacare.org/forphysicians/qualitypartners/christiana-care-care-link/'>ChristianaCare CareVio</a> - talks with us about the roles and responsibilities of a population health pharmacist.</p> <p>Key Lessons:</p> <ul><li>Population health involves holistically evaluating the health needs of a population and bringing together the resources and expertise needed to address those needs.</li> <li>Population health teams often include practitioners that many patients in primary care settings don't ordinarily have access including social workers, respiratory therapists, and clinical pharmacists.</li> <li>Sophisticated data analytics and remote monitoring tools help population health practitioners proactively identify patients who may need additional services or whose health status may be changing.</li> <li>Patient encounters are often conducting using videoconferencing technology and text-messaging can quickly capture patient experience data. </li> <li>The role and responsibilities of the population health pharmacist often extend beyond what an ambulatory care pharmacist might address.</li> <li>Population health pharmacists often have the authority to adjust medication regimens and order laboratory tests.</li> <li>Residency training and board certification are not required but preferred for those seeking employment as a population health pharmacist.  </li> <li>The key skill sets needed by a population health pharmacist include patient management experience addressing complex medication-related issues as well as a deep knowledge of quality metrics and value-based payment structures.</li> </ul>