Texas Pharmacy Association Launches Medication Adherence Project

When patients fail to refill—or even fill—their prescriptions, it’s a big problem. It’s especially bad when, as in the case of hypertension, it could directly endanger the patient.

But a new program launched by the Texas Pharmacy Association  (opens in a new tab) could help fix this state of affairs. TPA, with the help of a grant from the Community Pharmacy Foundation and the Texas Department of State Health Services, will launch mechanisms for pharmacists to continually monitor patients suffering from hypertension.

The goals of the Medication Adherence Project? To increase adherence to the stated prescription, improve outcomes, and save money in the long run.

“Pharmacists are medication experts with extensive training in identifying and resolving drug therapy problems, such as nonadherence,” TPA says on its website  (opens in a new tab). “Working with patients and their physicians, pharmacists can provide important services that improve treatment outcomes and improve patients’ quality of life.”

The program, which starts this month, will initially target three Texas communities: Wichita Falls, Tyler, and Jasper. Pharmacists will refer up to 180 patients to take part and could receive financial bonuses for each patient who successfully maintains his or her treatment program in the long run. The workflow of this process—whether involving hospitals, physicians, pharmacists, or patients—will be handled through a cloud-based platform. But, according to TPA, it will help emphasize the importance of pharmacists as part of the overall process.

“This referral network will position community pharmacists, regardless of employer, as members of the local community healthcare team,” the association states in a news release  (opens in a new tab). “In some regions, access to care may increase as pharmacists develop practice sites separate and apart from brick-and-mortar pharmacies.”