title: Implementation of a clinical pharmacy specialist-managed telephonic hospital discharge follow-up program in a patient-centered medical home.
abstract: The objectives of this retrospective study were to examine the feasibility and characteristics that define successful implementation of a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (CPS) telephonic hospital discharge follow-up quality improvement initiative, as well as the impact of this initiative. Adult patients who were discharged from a safety-net hospital between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011 and who were part of a patient-centered medical home were included in this quality improvement initiative. CPSs attempted to contact 470 patients; of those, 207 received the intervention and 263 did not. Patients in the contacted group were more likely to attend a hospital discharge follow-up appointment (66.2% vs. 44.5%, P<0.01) and had lower rates of 30-day readmission (22 vs. 52, P<0.01) compared to those who were not contacted. Institutions should consider allocating resources for pharmacist-managed posthospital discharge follow-up services because of the potential for positive clinical and financial impact.
authors.affiliation: University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA. sarah.anderson@ucdenver.edu
authors.forename: Sarah L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Joel C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Marrs
authors.forename: Joseph P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Vande Griend
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hanratty
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000639:trends; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000639:trends; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000639:trends; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000379:methods*; D010607:Pharmacy Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D024382:Professional Role; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013038:Specialization; D013689:Telephone; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult