Because MedB billing error fines can be costly for pharmacies dispensing high-cost medications, identifying common errors and training staff can be useful and financially prudent. The aim of this quality improvement project was to retrain certified pharmacy technicians (CPhTs) on common monthly billing errors and evaluate changes in error rates and potential fines.

This multi-phased survey aggregated data to describe clinical services provided by health-system specialty pharmacies (HSSPs). Results demonstrate that HSSPs are a clinical and educational resource for specialty clinics and have developed robust patient care services that encompass the patient journey from before specialty medication selection through treatment monitoring and optimization.

This study highlights how specialty pharmacists with access to patient medical records were able to postpone requesting oral anticancer medication refills for patients with upcoming follow-up and sufficient medication on hand. Therapy was discontinued or changed in 98% of postponed requests accounting for over $750,000 in costs avoided based on AWP-20% pricing.

This study examined the association between patient characteristics and patient-reported outcomes for patients prescribed specialty medications from rheumatology or multiple sclerosis clinics in two HSSPs for 3,677 patients over 30 months. Patients reporting tolerability issues or lower perceived effectiveness were more likely to report a missed dose.

We implemented a standardized documentation tool (SmartForms) that would collect discrete data fields during the specialty pharmacist's workflow in Dermatology clinic. This allowed us to collect data for reporting purposes on the front end, save time, document pharmacist interventions prior to treatment initiation, improve Epic documentation visibility and future usability.

This study evaluated patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and pharmacist interventions in patients serviced by VSP in various clinical conditions. In patients with MS specifically, we found that 98% of patients reported no adverse effects, 90% reported no missed doses, and 98% reported their medication worked "good" or "excellent." Pharmacist interventions were commonly related to adherence, safety monitoring, and adverse effects. PROs can be useful to drive meaningful pharmacist interventions.

Patients initiated on vesicular monoamine transport 2 inhibitor (VMAT2i) therapy for Tourette Syndrome and chronic tic disorders had a 50% discontinuation rate within the first 12-months of therapy. Patient reported adverse events were the main driver for discontinuation with most events being reported within 100 days of VMAT2i initiation. Further studies exploring persistence rates of VMAT2i therapy in the setting of common comorbid conditions are needed within this population.

Patient reported outcomes can be used to measure therapeutic response, as well as overall health status, functioning, quality of life, and disease management. Patients with inflammatory conditions who fill medication within an integrated HSSP model reported low rates of missed doses and side effects, and most rated high perceived medication effectiveness.

Patient reported outcomes (PROs) are used to assess response to medication and the need for therapeutic adjustments in patients with rheumatologic disease states. Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy, an integrated health-system specialty pharmacy, assesses PROs through monthly refill questionnaires to guide specialty pharmacist interventions and improve patient care.