Research Projects Page

This qualitative study used focus groups of pharmacy leadership and clinical pharmacists and semi-structured interviews with physician champions to evaluate the development and implementation of CPPAs in an IHSSP. Results demonstrated that implementation of a CPPA in a specialty clinic was thought to improve the quality and efficiency of patient care and was favorably accepted by clinic staff. The IHSSP structure allows CPPAs to be easily integrated in workflow.

This study assessed patients' satisfaction and barriers to their current UC or IBD treatment, their perceived quality of life, and pill burden associated with their current treatment. Patients are open to deprescribing their 5-ASA but would have several questions for their prescribing physician including assurance of continued symptom management or ease of returning to the 5-ASA if needed.

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.

Austedo is a VMAT2i approved by the FDA for the treatment of HD chorea. We completed a retrospective chart review of 17 patients on doses higher than 48 mg/day that were followed for at least 6 months to describe safety outcomes. We also assess adherence, dose adjustments, and discontinuation rates of patients with HD receiving daily doses of DBZ at > 48 mg. A multi-site retrospective chart review was performed at two sites designated as HD Centers of Excellence.

This case series identified patients with multiple sclerosis whose lymphocyte counts were stable on dimethyl fumarate, and then subsequently developed lymphopenia after switching to diroximel fumarate, prompting its discontinuation.

Many barriers prevent individuals with substance use disorders from receiving hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment. This study describes 96 patients with active HCV treated in an opioid use disorder bridge clinic model. Of 33 patients who initiated treatment, 25 patients completed treatment, and 13 patients achieved sustained virologic response.

This study assess the impact of pharmacist-led tailored monitoring for patients initiating PARP inhibitor therapy. A retrospective study showed that all patients were able to access medicaiton through the pharmacist-led insurance approval process and 64% of patients required a treatment modification in the first 90 days of therapy. A prospective study reporting the impact of implementing a pharmacist-led targeted monitoring program is forthcoming.

This study evaluated treatment outcomes (adherence, persistence, switching and discontinuation of therapy) and pharmacists' management of adverse events (AE's) in patients on an oral oncolytic for CLL/SLL. In a population of patients initiating oral CLL/SLL therapy through an integrated Health-System Pharmacy, adherence to therapy was high (mean PDC 92%). Adverse effects led to 36% of therapy discontinuations and 72% of therapy switches, indicating an opportunity for pharmacists to manage AE's.

This was a case series/descriptive report that aimed at describing patient characteristics, insurance access, and response to therapy in patients prescribed risankizuamab more frequently than the FDA-approved SQ maintenance dosing of 180mg or 360mg every 8 weeks. To date, no other data has been published to describe this topic.

This study described the care coordination process and patient outcomes from decision to treat with ustekinumab through initiating subcutaneous (SQ) injection. Prescriptions filled with Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy (VSP) had 2.5 times higher odds of being shipped in the appropriate window compared to non-VSP with 56% dose-escalated during the first year. This study shows ustekinumab initiation and escalation in the first year can be a lengthy process requiring a high level of care coordination.