Usual Pharmacy Care Group
fatigue
The usual care group was standard of care in the practice, with some patients completing screening for health-related social needs during their primary care visit. While patients were initially screened for health-related social needs at every visit, due to patient screening fatigue, the clinic reduced the frequency of screening to every 6 months in June 2019.Patients who agreed to participate in the pharmacy program received a call from the pharmacy liaison to conduct an intake within 2 weeks of enrollment. The intake did not include screening for health-related social needs. During the intake call, the pharmacy liaison reviewed medication lists, assessed gaps in obtaining refills, identified barriers to medication adherence, reviewed the patient’s engagement in care, and developed an action plan. Action plans included strategies to increase medication adherence and engagement in care. After the intake, the pharmacy liaison called patients monthly over a 12-month period to confirm medication adherence and address new barriers to medication adherence and engagement in care. Pharmacy liaisons could review the most recent health-related social needs screening on an ad hoc basis. If the patient requested resources, the pharmacy liaison could connect the patient to the clinic-based navigator. Pharmacy liaisons in the usual care group worked with a maximum caseload of 215 patients, as they managed additional patients who were not part of the trial. Pharmacy liaisons in the usual care group spent 24 hours per week on case management; the remaining time was spent on other responsibilities.