Pharmacists in southern Colorado become part of medical home

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the University of Colorado's Skaggs School of Pharmacy, and Integrated Community Health Partners (ICHP) began a project in 2015 to develop a model for pharmacy integration within an accountable care collaborative. ICHP is the collaborative for southeastern Colorado, responsible for supporting providers and networks in creating medical homes for the area's Medicaid population. 

In May, ICHP and Skaggs worked together to develop a model for utilizing community pharmacists in Buena Vista, La Junta and Alamosa to support patients in chronic disease management and medication adherence, two of the best ways to ensure that individuals living with diabetes, high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol can manage their conditions and live healthy lives.

Pharmacists are exceptional providers of management and medication adherence services for a number of reasons: they are located in a community setting, which makes them easier for some individuals to access; they are well-versed in disease treatment and adherence supports; and, for many people who visit the pharmacist monthly to pick up prescriptions, are often a key point of connection.

The CDC funded partnership between the Department, Skaggs and ICHP, is aimed at developing the model of pharmacy integration with a care team.

To learn how this integration project is working for Colorado, go to the American Pharmacists Association article, CDC names pharmacists in grants to states: Smith serves patients with chronic diseases.