Utilizing pharmacists for billable services related to disease state management

Abstract

Pharmacists are uniquely trained to optimize pharmacotherapy regimens for chronic disease states such as type 2 diabetes as part of an interdisciplinary health care team. Although pharmacists can enter into collaborative practice agreements (CPAs) with physicians that allow them to adjust pharmacotherapy, it is difficult to align these agreements with billable services to sustain pharmacists’ salaries in the primary care setting. Although pharmacists cannot bill directly, they can participate in certain billable services under varying levels of provider supervision. Services such as chronic care management, remote patient monitoring, and continuous glucose monitoring specifically allow for pharmacist participation in care and present opportunities to link CPAs to billable care.