Abstract 13291: Virtual Pharmacist Approach to Comprehensive Medication Management in Post-Discharge Heart Failure Patients: A Randomized Quality Improvement Initiative

Abstract

Introduction: Successful management of Heart Failure (HF) patients post-discharge requires a multi-faceted approach including close medication management to decrease preventable readmissions. Methods: We conducted a one-year single center, single-blinded randomized trial of HF patients post-discharge comparing standard of care vs. intensive virtual care on HF readmission rates. The intensive virtual care included comprehensive medication management by a Virtual Clinical Pharmacist (VCP). Results: Among the 591 participants, the median age was 73.2 years, 52.5% male, and 56.2% white. There were 308 patients randomized into the intervention group of which 165 (53.5%) enrolled. During VCP visits, 155 patient concerns were identified including active symptoms (45.2%), lack of clarity of medication regimen (40.6%), concurrent uncontrolled hyperglycemia or hypertension (9%) and non-adherence with provider follow up appointments (5.2%). There were 625 VCP interventions in 165 HF patients. Of these patients, VCPs increased access to medical care (33.9%), optimized guideline directed medical therapy (17.6%), addressed symptoms of HF exacerbations (7.9%), and other impactful interventions (Table). VCP recommendations had a 59% acceptance rate into the patient’s treatment plan when clinicians were contacted directly. A 6.9% decrease in 30-day readmission rates was demonstrated (p=0.03) in the intervention group, in addition to a decrease from 24.4% to 19.2% in emergency department visits (p=0.15). For patients readmitted, the intervention arm had a shorter length of stay, 5.6 days, when compared to control, 6.8 days (p=0.14). Conclusion: This single center randomized trial demonstrated that Virtual Clinical Pharmacist-led comprehensive medication management identified key interventions with high-level clinician engagement for post-discharge HF patients that resulted in a 6.9% reduction in HF readmissions.