Research Projects Page

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.

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.

The objective of this study was to characterize the HCV cascade of care in a bridge clinic setting and identify barriers to HCV treatment in this population. This study demonstrated that several challenges and barriers exist to engage patients in HCV care in a bridge clinic model, and more strategies should be identified to engage patients and link them to care.

This was a single-center, retrospective analysis of persistence on droxidopa for the management of orthostatic hypotension in adults patients. This study also evaluated adherence, patient-reported adverse events and falls as well as healthcare resource utilization.

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 $967,000 in costs avoided.

The purpose of this project was to assess the type and frequency of AEs and AE-associated medical actions (i.e., treatment holds, dose reduction and treatment discontinuation due to AEs) in patients initiating encorafenib and binimetinib combination therapy.

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.

Patients are recommend to receive all necessary vaccines prior to starting immunosuppressive specialty DMARD therapy. This quality improvement project developed a vaccine screening protocol for patients initiating new specialty medications at an outpatient rheumatology clinic. This protocol was effective in delivering patient-specific vaccine recommendations and was rated as efficient by specialty pharmacists.

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.

This study assessed patient-reported outcomes in patients prescribed specialty medications by an IBD clinic at a health system and dispensed by an integrated specialty pharmacy. A total of 515 MRQs were completed (median of 3 per patient; IQR 2, 3) during the study period. There were 2 reports of adverse effects and 11 reports of missing one or more medication doses. Medication effectiveness was rated as “excellent” in 13% (n=69) and “good” in 84% (n=433) of MRQ responses.