Clinical pharmacists in the emergency department

October is American Pharmacists Month and Oct 19-25th is National Hospital and Health-System Pharmacy Week. This week celebrates the invaluable contributions that pharmacists and pharmacy technicians make to our hospital, who do so much more than provide the medications essential to care for our patients. UTMB Health not only has pharmacists in our central pharmacies, but all over the hospital providing clinical services. Pharmacy Week provides the perfect platform to get to know your pharmacists so let’s take this opportunity to shine a spotlight on clinical pharmacists in the emergency department (ED).

 

In the ED there are a higher number of verbal orders and urgent, high-pressure situations. These factors make the ED a high-risk environment. Clinical pharmacists in the ED are able to promote safe medication practices and improve the overall quality of patient care.

 

To enhance those efforts, In March 2014, UTMB expanded the interdisciplinary ED care team to include a residency trained, board certified clinical pharmacist. This is part of the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) Project, intended to improve quality and lower the cost of care by meeting goals set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). For the DSRIP Project, our ED pharmacist personally meets with a targeted, high-risk patient population: age greater than 65, age less than 18 and patients with greater than 4 visits per year. This allows the ED pharmacist to assist with medication reconciliation and obtain an accurate medication history to improve outcomes and reduce 30-day readmissions.

                                                                                                                      

In the short time that the UTMB emergency department has had clinical pharmacy services, the DSRIP Project’s CMS goals for the entire fiscal year have already been surpassed. The efforts of the ED pharmacist to improve outcomes, prevent 30-day readmissions, and meet Core Measures greatly helps the hospital in lowering health care costs.

 

In addition to meeting the DSRIP Project goals, the ED pharmacist is naturally a source of drug information and is consulted for drug selection, dosing, monitoring, formulary inquiries, Core Measures, and antimicrobial stewardship. As an Advanced Cardiac Life Support provider, the ED pharmacist participates in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) not only by procuring medications, but also for all aspects of CPR. Our ED pharmacist also provides patient education, staff in-services and allows for UTMB to serve as a rotation site for pharmacy students and residents.

 

Proactive growth and utilization of clinical pharmacy services in the ED will continue to benefit the hospital, physicians, nurses, and most importantly, our patients.