Association News
Apply Now for Community Pharmacy Transformation Pilot Project
CLICK HERE FOR PROJECT INFORMATION UPDATED SEPTEMBER 13, 2017.
The Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA) is actively seeking applications to gauge interest from community pharmacists regarding their potential participation in a temporary pilot program to evaluate the impact of implementation of Technician Product Verification (TPV) and Collaborative Pharmacy Practice (CPP) within the community pharmacy practice setting.
Implementation of clinical pharmacy services in community pharmacies is difficult due to increasing time restraints on pharmacists performing technical job duties, such as final verification of prescription products. To alleviate some of this constraint, and to foster and increase pharmacist-provided clinical services aimed at optimizing patient care in community pharmacies, validation of a new practice model involving Technician Product Verification workflow is needed.
What is the Community Pharmacy Transformation Pilot Project?
The Community Pharmacy Transformation Pilot Project utilizes an emerging pharmacy practice model that leverages Technician Product Verification (TPV) and Collaborative Pharmacy Practice (CPP) to optimize the delivery of pharmacist-provided care and services in community pharmacy practice settings. Community pharmacists remain in the perfect position to transform our health care system and leverage patient access to create a new vision for delivery of patient care. TPV utilizes certified pharmacy technicians with advanced training to facilitate delivery of high-quality pharmacist-provided patient care that ensures patient safety and better health outcomes. TPV pilot programs in community pharmacies in Iowa and Wisconsin have demonstrated that advance trained, certified technician accuracy in performing final verification is comparable to pharmacist accuracy, and the use of TPV in these states has resulted in increased time for pharmacists to provide high-quality patient care leading to optimal health outcomes, while maintaining a high level of patient safety.
Tennessee Board of Pharmacy Rule 1140-02-.02 currently permits technician product verification for inpatient institution-based pharmacy practice settings where certified pharmacy technicians verify the contents of unit dose carts and automated dispensing systems prepared by other registered technicians using additional verification, by either bar code technology or a licensed health care professional, prior to administration to the patient. Additionally, seven other states allow the use of TPV in the community pharmacy practice setting. TPA plans to request approval from the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy for a temporary pilot program and become the eighth state to implement this model of care in the community pharmacy practice setting.
Training Requirements and Pilot Program Goals:
If approved by the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy, TPA is prepared to train community pharmacy staff, guide implementation of TPV and clinical services through a Collaborative Pharmacy Practice Agreement (CPPA), and track the results of this very important pilot program. Goals of the temporary pilot program include:
- Evaluation of the impact of a community pharmacy-focused TPV program on patient safety measures
- Examination of the impact of a TPV program relating to reallocating pharmacists’ time from technical duties to the delivery of patient-centered care
- Assessment of the expansion of pharmacist-provided patient care in participating community pharmacy settings after implementation of a TPV program
- Evaluation of the impact of this practice model change on the ability of pharmacists to achieve optimized patient-centered care through CPPAs.
Implementation of TPV would:
- Permit a certified pharmacy technician with advanced training in product verification to deliver the final verification of medication products (excluding compounds and controlled substances)
- Empower certified pharmacy technicians to screen patients and refer eligible patients to pharmacists for additional care and services
- Utilize a new pharmacy practice model to free up more time and increase patient access to pharmacist-provided services, such as those authorized by prescribers under CPPAs
Implementation of TPV would not:
- Change the pharmacist supervision requirements for pharmacy technicians
- Remove the pharmacist from the clinical decision-making process, Drug Utilization Review (DUR), or any other clinical component of the prescription dispensing process
- Diminish the importance of a pharmacist or the license they hold
- Replace pharmacists with pharmacy technicians
What is required TODAY:
Please click on the button below to complete the pilot program application. Your application will provide TPA with important information necessary to evaluate your pharmacy practice site’s level of interest in serving as one of the practice sites involved in this pilot program.
Eligible community pharmacies:
Participation in this pilot program is open to all community pharmacy practice sites (both independent and chain) licensed and located in the State of Tennessee.
Application Deadline:
Wednesday, September 6th, 2017
Next steps:
Applicants will be evaluated based on eligibility guidelines for the pilot program, and selected applicants will receive a formal request for proposal (RFP) from TPA in mid-September.
TPA greatly appreciates your interest in this very important community pharmacy practice transformation program, and welcomes your application response!
