CLINICAL pharmacists in a multidisciplinary team in the UK town of Croydon, south of London, have helped reduce avoidable hospital admissions under a program which sees them work together with local GPs to discuss complex patients and also receive hospital discharge referrals.
The first six months of the program, which was established in response to high local hospital admission rates, saw the pharmacists identify almost 600 medication related problems and estimated savings of almost 180,000 in avoidable admissions.
The approach is described as "outcomes-based commissioning" which aims to reward outcomes that matter to patients, in contrast to payment-for-volume services.
As well as regular "huddles" at each GP practice, the pharmacists undertake home visits to counsel patients and deprescribe.
The success of the program is described in a blog post at www.pharmaceutical-journal.com.
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