According to the American Society of Health System Pharmacists, nearly half of graduating pharmacists pursue post graduate residency training with this number expected to increase. In addition, clinically trained pharmacists frequently pursue rigorous board certifications in pharmacotherapy, ambulatory care, diabetes management, plus others specialties. So today’s pharmacist is regarded as a medication expert and is well-prepared to collaborate with prescribers to optimize therapeutic outcomes.
A few years ago, the New York legislature passed a law to permit certain pharmacists practicing in New York State’s teaching hospitals to engage in Collaborative Drug Therapy Management (CDTM). CDTM enables pharmacists and physicians to collaborate to attain more effective therapeutic outcomes.
As of May 6, 2014, CDTM has been designated as a demonstration project. This requires a report to be submitted to the N.Y legislature summarizing CDTM as it relates to anticoagulation therapy, heart failure, HIV, oncology, pulmonary diseases, and treating diabetes.
Many think that having pharmacists and physicians working together can be more effective in treating diabetes. It is estimated that one out of every 12 adults in New York has diabetes and these numbers are expected to rise. In an attempt to address the issue, the New York State Department of Health through the NYS Prevention Agenda for 2013-2017 included diabetes management as part of the focus on chronic disease prevention and management.
Goals are to reduce the prevalence of diabetes from 10.4 percent down to 5.7 percent and to increase the percentage of adult diabetics who have good diabetes control by 7 to 10 percent. In fact, many adult diabetics do not receive guideline-recommended therapy.
In 2011, four hospital-based ambulatory care clinics in New York State implemented CDTM programs to care for diabetic patients. The results demonstrated accelerated improvements that have exceeded the NYS Prevention Agenda Goals.
Although the numbers and areas of specialty of CDTM practices vary throughout the country, the body of evidence supports the role of pharmacists to provide clinical services that will result in expanding economic, clinical, and humanistic outcomes.
Go to www.op.nyded.gov/news/cdtmreportmay2014final.pdf to view the May 2014 report on the results of the New York State’s CDTM Pilot Project.