Reducing readmissions with pharmacist-integrated care in Medicare value-based programs.

Abstract

In an effort to expedite the publication of articles, AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time. Pharmacy transitions of care (ToC) programs have been shown to decrease 30-day hospital readmissions and improve patient outcomes, but there is limited published data on the impact of pharmacist-integrated ToC services beyond 30 days. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of pharmacist-integrated ToC and population health services on 30-, 60-, and 90-day all-cause readmissions in a Medicare value-based program (MV-BP) population and to compare mean times to first readmission with and without pharmacist care. A retrospective observational chart review was conducted to identify eligible hospital discharge encounters (DEs). Patients 18 years of age or older enrolled in an MV-BP were assigned to 4 study groups (a control group or one of 3 intervention arms) based on the pharmacy ToC services they received from either an inpatient ToC pharmacist or a dedicated population health pharmacist (PHP). Among 1,065 eligible DEs, 90-day follow-up was completed in 1,039 cases. The control group (n = 213) had a 90-day readmission rate of 34.74%. Intervention arm 1 (n = 201) had no significant reduction in 90-day readmissions, with a rate of 29.85% (odds ratio [OR], 0.94; 95% CI, 0.61-1.47; P = 0.80), while intervention arms 2 (n = 209), and 3 (n = 416) had significantly lower rates of readmission: 9.57% (OR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.15-0.46; P < 0.01), and 17.07% (OR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.27-0.61; P < 0.01), respectively. A combination of ToC and PHP services reduced 30-, 60-, and 90-day readmission rates in an MV-BP population. These results support the expansion of pharmacy-based ToC to minimize readmissions within 90 days for this Medicare population.