Kevin C. Farmer

Evaluation of a hypertension medication therapy management program in patients with diabetes.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of a 9-month community pharmacy-based medication therapy management (MTM) program on quality of care in patients with diabetes and hypertension. DESIGN Randomized controlled trial. SETTING Tulsa, OK, between November 2005 and July 2007. PATIENTS 52 patients with diabetes and hypertension who were enrolled in a managed care organization. INTERVENTION During monthly visits, intervention group participants received MTM services for hypertension and diabetes management. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Systolic blood pressure (SBP), percentage at goal blood pressure (<130/80 mm Hg), and antihypertensive medication adherence. RESULTS The mean intervention group SBP decreased 17.32 mm Hg, whereas the mean control group SBP level increased 2.73 mm Hg (P = 0.003). The percentage of patients at goal blood pressure increased from 16.0% to 48.0% in the intervention group and decreased from 20.0% to 6.67% in the control group. Intervention group participants were 12.92 times more likely than control group participants to achieve goal blood pressure (P = 0.021). Although the mean adherence rate in the intervention group increased 7.0% while remaining fairly constant in the control group (-0.7%), this group difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION A community pharmacy-based hypertension MTM program was effective in improving blood pressure control among managed care enrollees with diabetes and hypertension. Community pharmacists are strategically positioned to provide MTM services and effectively communicate with providers to improve quality of care for patients.

Commonly prescribed medications and potential false-positive urine drug screens.

PURPOSE The implications of potential false-positive urine drug screen (UDS) results for patients receiving commonly prescribed medications were evaluated. SUMMARY A comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify false-positive UDSs associated with all clinic formulary medications, as well as common nonprescription medications. The references of each report describing a medication whose use was associated with false-positive UDS results were also reviewed. If a class effect was suspected, additional agents in the category were searched. A total of 25 reports of false-positive UDS results were identified. Categories of medications included antihistamines, antidepressants, antibiotics, analgesics, antipsychotics, and nonprescription agents. Reports of false-positive results were found for the following formulary and nonprescription medications: brompheniramine, bupropion, chlorpromazine, clomipramine, dextromethorphan, diphenhydramine, doxylamine, ibuprofen, naproxen, promethazine, quetiapine, quinolones (ofloxacin and gatifloxacin), ranitidine, sertraline, thioridazine, trazodone, venlafaxine, verapamil, and a nonprescription nasal inhaler. False-positive results for amphetamine and methamphetamine were the most commonly reported. False-positive results for methadone, opioids, phencyclidine, barbiturates, cannabinoids, and benzodiazepines were also reported in patients taking commonly used medications. The most commonly used tests to screen urine for drugs of abuse are immunoassays, even though false-positive results for drugs of abuse have been reported with a number of these rapid-screening products. Results from such tests should be confirmed using additional analytical methods, including gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. CONCLUSION A number of routinely prescribed medications have been associated with triggering false-positive UDS results. Verification of the test results with a different screening test or additional analytical tests should be performed to avoid adverse consequences for the patients.

Patient-centered interventions to improve medication management and adherence: A qualitative review of research findings

OBJECTIVE Patient-centered approaches to improving medication adherence hold promise, but evidence of their effectiveness is unclear. This review reports the current state of scientific research around interventions to improve medication management through four patient-centered domains: shared decision-making, methods to enhance effective prescribing, systems for eliciting and acting on patient feedback about medication use and treatment goals, and medication-taking behavior. METHODS We reviewed literature on interventions that fell into these domains and were published between January 2007 and May 2013. Two reviewers abstracted information and categorized studies by intervention type. RESULTS We identified 60 studies, of which 40% focused on patient education. Other intervention types included augmented pharmacy services, decision aids, shared decision-making, and clinical review of patient adherence. Medication adherence was an outcome in most (70%) of the studies, although 50% also examined patient-centered outcomes. CONCLUSIONS We identified a large number of medication management interventions that incorporated patient-centered care and improved patient outcomes. We were unable to determine whether these interventions are more effective than traditional medication adherence interventions. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Additional research is needed to identify effective and feasible approaches to incorporate patient-centeredness into the medication management processes of the current health care system, if appropriate.

Use of prescription and nonprescription medications and supplements by cancer patients during chemotherapy: questionnaire validation

Background. Cancer patients take medications for coexisting disease and self-medicate with over-the-counter drugs (OTCs). A complete analysis of the use of prescription drugs, OTCs, and supplements during cancer treatment has never been done. Methods. The study developed and validated a self-administered questionnaire on the use of concomitant medications by patients undergoing treatment with chemotherapy. The questionnaire listed 510 prescription medications, OTCs, and supplements (including vitamins, minerals, and herbs). Fifty-two subjects completed the questionnaire while visiting the infusion clinic to receive chemotherapy. On a subsequent visit the subjects brought their medications to the clinic and a pharmacist reviewed their completed questionnaire. Results. Ninety-six percent of the subjects reported taking prescription medications within 3 days prior to chemotherapy, 71% reported taking OTCs and 69% reported use of supplements. The subjects took an average of 5.5 (range 0—13) prescription drugs, 2.2 (0—20) OTCs, and 1.9 (0—11) supplements. Twenty-one drugs were each taken by at least 10% of the subjects. Acetaminophen was taken by 59.6% of the subjects. One subject reported taking five acetaminophen-containing drugs. The questionnaires sensitivity was 92.0%, specificity 99.9%. Conclusion. Within 3 days prior to chemotherapy, subjects took an average of 9.6 concomitant medications, many of which alter drug metabolism and or disposition. In clinical trials, multivariate analysis of all concomitant medications could add to clinically relevant data to identify drug interactions that negate or potentiate the efficacy of cancer treatment regimens. In some instances, apparent resistance of tumors to chemotherapy may be the result of drug interactions. J Oncol Pharm Practice (2008) 14: 123—130.

Strategies aimed at controlling misuse and abuse of opioid prescription medications in a state Medicaid program: a policymaker's perspective

Abstract Society in America, like many others, continues to wrestle with the problem of misuse and abuse of prescription opioids. The implications of this struggle are widespread and involve many individuals and institutions including healthcare policymakers. State Medicaid pharmacy programs, in particular, undergo significant scrutiny of their programs to curtail this problem. While recent efforts have been made by government agencies to both quantify and offer methods for curbing this issue, it still falls to each state’s policymakers to protect its resources and the population it serves from the consequences of misuse and abuse. This paper details the history of one state Medicaid’s management of this issue at the pharmacy benefit level. Examples of various methods employed and the results are outlined and commentary is provided for each method. Regardless of the methods used to address this issue, the problem must still be a priority at all levels, not just for payers.

Evaluation of Abuse-Deterrent or Tamper-Resistant Opioid Formulations on Overall Health Care Expenditures in a State Medicaid Program

BACKGROUND The development of abuse-deterrent opioid prescription medications is a priority at the national level. Pharmaceutical manufacturers have begun marketing new formulations of currently available opioids that meet higher abuse resistance standards. Little information is available regarding the impact of these formulations on overall health care expenditures. OBJECTIVES To (a) examine the relationship between health care expenditures and use of brand abuse-deterrent or tamper-resistant (ADTR) extended-release opioids versus standard dosage form (SDF) extended-release opioids in a state Medicaid population, and (b) determine whether this relationship was influenced by member-specific characteristics. METHODS The study is a cross-sectional review of Oklahoma Medicaid members (aged ≥ 21 years) with at least 1 paid pharmacy claim for long-acting opioids between September 2013 and August 2014. Members who were adherent to extended-release opioid products were classified into ADTR and SDF opioid groups. The relationship between health care expenditures (prescription, medical, and overall) and opioid groups was examined using multiple linear regression models. The impact of member-specific characteristics (age, sex, race, urban classifications, and various comorbidities) on this relationship was examined. RESULTS Prescription spending (

Evaluation of a diabetes management program using selected HEDIS measures

9,265,554) accounted for 35% of overall health care expenditures (

Future economic outlook of Nebraska rural community pharmacies based on break-even analysis of community operational costs and county population

26,304,693) among 938 members during the 12-month reference period. Total prescription expenditures were higher among ADTR than SDF user groups, and the difference in median expenditures between these 2 groups was larger among members with more comorbidities, as measured by the Charlson Comorbidity Index score. Overall, ADTR users had higher median total health care and medical expenditures, and the difference in median expenditures was dependent on whether a member had comorbidities of addiction or not (higher expenditures were observed among members with comorbidities of addiction). CONCLUSIONS The abuse and misuse of medically prescribed opioid products is a growing health epidemic. A variety of attempts have been made to reduce the potential of abuse and misuse of these products, including changes to product formulations. The results of this study indicate that both prescription spending and physician and pharmacy spending combined may be increased with the use of these new products because of higher pricing. Study findings also suggest that the use of ADTR opioids among members with comorbidities of addiction may be related to slightly lower overall health care and medical expenditures than those among members without comorbidities of addiction. Further research is required to answer questions regarding the comparative effectiveness of existing opioid prescription formulations. DISCLOSURES No outside funding supported this research. Nesser is employed by the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, and Keast is a contractual employee for the Oklahoma Health Care Authority. The authors declare no other conflicts of interest. Study design was primarily contributed by Keast, along with Nesser and Farmer. Keast took the lead in data collection, while data interpretation was primarily performed by Owora, along with Keast and assisted by Nesser and Farmer. The manuscript was written and revised by all authors equally.

Unclaimed Prescriptions: An Overlooked Opportunity: Pharmacists can use potential lost sales in unclaimed prescriptions as an opportunity to contact patients and increase patient-oriented services.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of a community-based, pharmacist-directed diabetes management program among managed care organization enrollees using National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)-Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) performance measures. DESIGN Randomized controlled trial. SETTING Regional community pharmacy chain in Tulsa, OK, from November 2005 to July 2007. PATIENTS 52 participants with diabetes and hypertension who were enrolled in a managed care organization. INTERVENTION Diabetes management versus standard care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Comprehensive diabetes care measures of glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C <7.0%), blood pressure (<130/80 mm Hg), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (<100 mg/dL). A composite research outcome of success was created by determining whether a participant achieved two of the three HEDIS goals at the end of 9 months. RESULTS 46.7% of intervention group participants achieved the A1C goal, while 9.1% of control group participants achieved the goal ( P < 0.002). More than one-half (53.3%) of intervention participants achieved the blood pressure goal compared with 22.7% of control participants ( P < 0.02). Among control group participants, 50% achieved the LDL cholesterol goal compared with 46.67% of intervention group participants. The odds of the intervention group attaining the composite goal were 5.87 times greater than the control group. CONCLUSION A community pharmacy-based diabetes management program was effective in achieving A1C and blood pressure goals measured by NCQA-HEDIS performance standards. Program participants were statistically significantly more likely to achieve two of three HEDIS standards during a 9-month period.

Vancomycin Dosing and Pharmacokinetics in Postoperative Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery Patients.

BACKGROUND There is growing concern over increasingly limited access to local health care, including pharmacies, for rural citizens of the United States. Although geographically distant from most competitors, rural pharmacies may still struggle to generate an acceptable profit to remain economically viable. Therefore, a method for calculating the economic viability for a community pharmacy to recruit a potential new owner to assume the entrepreneurial risk is an important issue to consider when evaluating rural pharmacy access. OBJECTIVES The primary objective of this study was to use a modified break-even analysis to predict the future financial potential of the current pharmacy business to attract a new owner. The secondary objective was to forecast a risk level for a Nebraska county to sustain the number of pharmacies in the country beyond current ownership. METHODS This research used data provided by pharmacies that responded to a Nebraska Medicaid cost of dispensing (COD) survey in addition to data from the US Census Bureau, US Office of Management and Budget, and the Nebraska State Board of Pharmacy. Break-even analysis was used to determine the point where the prescription volume of the pharmacy not only covered the variable and fixed costs but also maintained a reasonable profit to attract new ownership. Counties were classified into 3 risk levels based on the projected available prescription volume and the number of pharmacies in each county. Sensitivity analysis was performed on the risk levels to determine the impact of variance in projected available prescription volume on the projected future outlook for the pharmacies in each county. RESULTS Regression analysis of responses to the COD survey indicated that the annual break-even prescription volume ranged from 44,790 to 49,246 prescriptions per pharmacy per annum. The number of rural Nebraska pharmacies was projected to decline from 126 to 78. The number of counties in Nebraska without a single pharmacy was projected to increase from 19 to 26, and the number of counties with just one pharmacy was projected to increase from 17 to 31. Thus, the number of counties with 1 or no pharmacy was projected to increase to 57 out of the total 93 Nebraska counties. CONCLUSIONS The forecasted closure of pharmacies in rural areas will cause significant portions of the state to be without a pharmacy. Low county populations will be unable to sustain a local prescription volume large enough to remove them from the high risk of pharmacy closure.