EVALUATION OF A PHARMACY RESIDENT-LED VIRTUAL POPULATION HEALTH CLINIC Katrina Bitcon, Katie Sfirlea, Catie Harper, Madison Yates
Background/Purpose: A value-based care delivery model aims to enhance patient care by reimbursing providers based on patient outcomes and the quality of care instead of the quantity of services delivered. In 2024, our health system established a new objective to expand value-based care throughout all areas of our system. Pharmacists in the health system's primary care clinics deliver chronic disease management services using a value-based care model; however, access to pharmacists working within these clinics has historically been limited to traditional business hours. To expand access to pharmacy services for patients experiencing barriers to this model, staffing for ambulatory care interested PGY1 pharmacy residents was structured to include virtual care outside of traditional business hours. During these visits, chronic disease states were assessed and documented, as well as any recommendations that the resident made for therapeutic management. The purpose of this study was to characterize this pharmacy resident-led virtual population health clinic and assess its impact on patient care.
Methodology: Fifty patients were included in this single health system, retrospective, cohort study. Patients were eligible for inclusion if they completed at least one pharmacy resident-led virtual visit between October 1, 2024, and May 31, 2025. The primary objective of this study was to determine the percentage of pharmacy resident recommendations approved by the primary care provider (PCP), which was defined as corresponding orders in the electronic medical record within 10 days of the visit. Secondary objectives included the percentage of patients achieving an A1C <8%, blood pressure (BP) <140/90 mm Hg, and LDL-C <70 mg/dL pre- and post-intervention, as well as the types of recommendations made by the pharmacy resident.
Results: A total of 204 resident visits among 50 patients were conducted with the pharmacy residents. Of the 77 recommendations provided by the pharmacy residents, 97.3% were accepted by the referring PCP, with the most common recommendations being an increase in dose or addition of medication. There was an increase in patients achieving the goal A1C by 22% (P < 0.01), blood pressure by 24.2% (P < 0.05), and LDL-C by 20.6% (P > 0.05). The most common disease state managed by the pharmacy residents was diabetes. After the intervention, 32% were helped with medication access, 16% gained access to CGM, and 4% of patients gained access to home blood pressure monitors.
Conclusions: The results of this study show that the majority of pharmacy resident recommendations were approved and implemented by the PCP. Additionally, there was a significant reduction in A1C and blood pressure after pharmacy resident intervention. Alongside improvements in disease state management, patients were able to gain access to home monitoring devices and assisted with medication access. Based on the findings of this study, providing after-hours virtual visits with a pharmacy resident is an effective method for reaching patients who face barriers to traditional healthcare hours.
