Meeting the New AACP Competencies in Genetics and Clinical Pharmacogenomics at the University of Minnesota.

: Pharmacogenomics (PGx) is increasingly being used for creating individualized treatments for patient care. Healthcare professionals, especially pharmacists, need to understand how genetic variation impacts the efficacy and toxicity of medications. Due to the breadth and complexity of PGx-related information, it has been challenging to determine what information should be included in pharmacy curricula and how best to educate students.

Implementation outcomes associated with a value-based care model of comprehensive medication management in community pharmacies.

Objective: Although the delivery of comprehensive medication management (CMM) in community pharmacies has been shown to improve health outcomes, inconsistent adoption hinders the benefit patients receive. Our objective was to examine the implementation of a novel value-based care model and the impact of educational and coaching support for pharmacists on patient access to CMM. The underlying care model provides a payment for CMM services combined with incentives to document and improve clinical outcomes and patient engagement.

Community pharmacists' experience relying on select implementation strategies in the delivery of comprehensive medication management.

Objective: Implementation strategies are methods or techniques that facilitate adoption, implementation, and sustainability of a clinical program or practice. There has been a lack of widespread adoption of comprehensive medication management (CMM) in community pharmacies. The objective of this evaluation was to expand understanding of how select implementation strategies impacted pharmacists' experience implementing and delivering CMM in the community pharmacy setting.

How Comprehensive Medication Management Contributes to Foundational Elements of Primary Care.

Pharmacists are more often being recognized as a critical component of the primary care team. Previous literature has not clearly made the connection to how pharmacists and comprehensive medication management (CMM) contribute to recognized foundational elements of primary care. In this reflection, we examine how the delivery of CMM both supports and aligns with Starfield's 4 Cs of Primary Care.

Ready, set, go!: exploring use of a readiness process to implement pharmacy services.

Background: Readiness is an essential precursor of successful implementation; however, its conceptualization and application has proved elusive. R = MC operationalizes readiness for use in practice. The purpose of this study was to (1) describe the application of R = MC to assess and build readiness in nine healthcare sites responsible for implementing medication management services and (2) gain insights into the sites' experience.

The Philosophy of Practice for Comprehensive Medication Management: Evaluating Its Meaning and Application by Practitioners.

Objective: Philosophy of practice is the foundation of any patient care practice because it provides a set of professional values and beliefs that guide actions and decisions in practice. Study objectives were to understand how pharmacists providing comprehensive medication management (CMM) describe their philosophy of practice and compare how participants' philosophies align with predefined tenets of a CMM philosophy of practice.

Methods: An instrument with closed and open-ended items was developed and administered online to the lead pharmacist at 36 clinics participating in a large CMM study.

The Active Implementation Frameworks: A roadmap for advancing implementation of Comprehensive Medication Management in Primary care.

Implementation of evidence-based health services interventions is complex and often limited in scope. The Active Implementation Frameworks (AIFs) are an evidence-based set of frameworks to use when attempting to put into practice any innovation of known dimensions. This article describes the novel application of the AIFs to facilitate the implementation and improvement of Comprehensive Medication Management (CMM) in primary care practices to optimize medication use and improve care for patients.

A qualitative evaluation of medication management services in six Minnesota health systems.

Purpose: The initiation, establishment, and sustainability of medication management programs in six Minnesota health systems are described.

Methods: Six Minnesota health systems with well-established medication management programs were invited to participate in this study: Essentia Health, Fairview Health Services, HealthPartners, Hennepin County Medical Center, Mayo Clinic, and Park Nicollet Health Services. Qualitative methods were employed by conducting group interviews with key staff from each institution who were influential in the development of medication management services within their organization.

Accelerating quality improvement within your organization: Applying the Model for Improvement.

Objective: To discuss the fundamentals of the Model for Improvement and how the model can be applied to quality improvement activities associated with medication use, including understanding the three essential questions that guide quality improvement, applying a process for actively testing change within an organization, and measuring the success of these changes on care delivery.

Data Sources: PubMed from 1990 through April 2014 using the search terms quality improvement, process improvement, hospitals, and primary care.

Study Selection: At the authors' discretion, studies were selected based on their relevance in demonstrating the quality improvement process and tests of change within an organization.

Access to patients' health records for drug therapy problem determination by pharmacists.

Objectives: To evaluate differences in the number and type of drug therapy problems (DTPs) identified by pharmacists with and without access to patients' primary care health records; determine the confidence level of pharmacists in their assessment of DTPs with and without access to health records; and determine the type of information pharmacists need to confirm their assessment.

Methods: The study design was an exploratory and comparative evaluation of comprehensive medication management assessments. Pharmacists initially completed patient assessments without access to the patient's primary care health record.

Access to patients' health records for drug therapy problem determination by pharmacists.

Objectives: To evaluate differences in the number and type of drug therapy problems (DTPs) identified by pharmacists with and without access to patients' primary care health records; determine the confidence level of pharmacists in their assessment of DTPs with and without access to health records; and determine the type of information pharmacists need to confirm their assessment.

Methods: The study design was an exploratory and comparative evaluation of comprehensive medication management assessments. Pharmacists initially completed patient assessments without access to the patient's primary care health record.

Personalizing public health: your health avatar.

Objectives: To describe the creation of a health avatar, with the goals of providing patients with complete health information from various sources, establishing an interactive and customizable platform, empowering users to determine how the health information best fits or speaks to their personal needs, and providing perspective by comparing the health status of the individual with that of the individual's community.

Summary: The Internet is rapidly becoming integrated into Americans' daily lives. According to the 2007 Health Information National Trends Study, 69% of U.

The expanding role of Minnesota pharmacists in primary care.

Changes to pharmacy education have paralleled changes in the role pharmacists play in primary care. Today, pharmacists are often members of the health care team, providing medication management services to help patients control chronic illnesses and working to prevent adverse drug events by educating and guiding prescribers. This article describes the role of pharmacists today and what they are doing to improve outcomes related to patient care.