OCTOBER 2020

With Numbers and Quality Comes Power We have just finished our first year with Cohort 1. We have over 500 pharmacies participating in Cohort 1 and our inaugural year of Flip the Pharmacy. Somethings we got right from the beginning, other things we learned and changed. Then, we got hit with the unexpected—COVID-19 which changed all our worlds. Although we had to make a pivot with Flip the Pharmacy, it turned out that the learnings we gained from our COVID-19 best practices helped us improve our Flip the Pharmacy materials, processes, and offerings. In fact one of our best attended and most engaged webinars is our Flip the Pharmacy Best Practices Webinar where participating pharmacies get a chance to share how they are implementing their change packages and practice innovations. Also, we have discussed in the past the tremendous growth in e-care plan submissions from our Flip the Pharmacy practice sites—truly remarkable. Now we are adding Cohort 2 pharmacies which brings our number of total pharmacies transforming their practices to over 900. For the first time in my career I am seeing a large aggregate of community-based pharmacies providing patient care services that are having an impact on patient outcomes and total cost of care. Payers are engaging with networks across the country—really for two main reasons—we positively impact patient care/outcomes and we have the numbers of pharmacies that provide coverage for a payer’s beneficiaries—thus the value of a clinically integrated network.  I make those two distinctions between outcomes and numbers because we are still experiencing disruption in health care and in particular pharmacy. New players keep entering the market including technology vendors who are developing solutions to get the drug faster, more efficiently, and more effectively to the patient. What I don’t hear very often though is who is managing and monitoring the patients drug therapy. Estimates from 2016 indicated that we (United States) spent $528.4 billion drug related morbidity and mortality.1 Our country now spends much more money on correcting the problems related to inappropriate drug therapy than on the drug therapy itself. This is why CPESN USA and Flip the Pharmacy are essential to our future success. To me, the new innovations will be centered around the medication management of patients—not just fast and accurate dispensing. Actively engaging in Flip the Pharmacy and transforming your practice to ensure patients are achieving optimal outcomes with their medications will be our solution to the problems and costs associated with potentially inappropriate medications. Community pharmacists are the solution and now we have the adequacy (coverage) needed for plans and the quality interventions needed desperately by our health care system. The power is shifting to our favor!!

Randy McDonough, PharmD, MS, BCGP, BCPS, FAPhA Director of Practice Transformation, Flip the Pharmacy

Flip the Pharmacy Cohort 2 Commences! And.. we are off with Cohort 2 of the Flip the Pharmacy Initiative! The Cohort 2 Introductory Change Package was emailed to the Cohort 2 Pharmacies, Coaches, and Leads on October 1.   We have already heard so much excitement from the new FtP participants, including Pharmacies and all members of the FtP Teams.   What’s Next?   Beginning in November, both cohorts will be following the same change package related to immunizations and diabetes. Be sure to follow along, even if you are not in either FtP Cohorts!   The CDC states, “The COVID-19 pandemic has caused healthcare providers to change how they operate to continue to provide essential services to patients. Ensuring immunization services are maintained or reinitiated is essential for protecting individuals and communities from vaccine-preventable diseases and outbreaks and reducing the burden of respiratory illness during the upcoming influenza season.”   Community-based pharmacies are in a prime position to assist in this public health initiative. Follow along with the upcoming immunization-focused change packages to see how Flip the Pharmacy / CPESN Pharmacies have changed their practices and implement the practices within your pharmacy!

Flip the Pharmacy Change Packages and Best Practices Click here to Access

At this point, Flip the Pharmacy participating pharmacies should have or are creating a sustainable practice around opioid medications. The goal is to continue offering these workflow innovations as we move into the next progression.   For pharmacies who are ready to take the opioid progression to the next level, we have partnered with our Subject Matter Experts to help you do just that. Focus on the patient in more ways than just their medications – Social Determinants of Health Opioid Tapering The October Flip the Pharmacy Opioid change package can be reviewed by clicking here.

Flip the Pharmacy Best Practices Does your pharmacy have a best practice regarding opioids? We love to showcase those on our Flip the Pharmacy Best Practices website. Please email your ideas to: submit@flipthepharmacy.com. Click here to view the best practices shared within the Opioid progression to date.

Remote AACP/ACT Workshop The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) and the Academia CPESN Transformation (ACT) Pharmacy Collaborative are hosting a virtual workshop next month. Click here for for all of the details. November 12-13, 2020

Best of Flip the Pharmacy Social Media

Check out some of our favorite social media posts from the last couple weeks. We encourage you to get connected and join in the fun!

Follow Us! Facebook: @flipthepharmacy Instagram: @flipthepharmacy Twitter: @flipthepharmacy #flipthepharmacy @CPFgrants @CPESN

Best of the Flip the Pharmacy Blog Enjoy the blog post by Jessica Bailey, PharmD Candidate (Palm Beach Atlantic Class of 2021) from Team Florida entitled, "How Do I Implement and Opioid Pledge, You Ask?" Click here to check out her blog post.

Flip the Pharmacy in the News Danhauer Drug Store in Owensboro, Kentucky was featured in their local Messenger-inquirer. To see the story, click here.

Join the Flip the Pharmacy Movement If you want to support us and join the Flip the Pharmacy effort, just email us at partner@flipthepharmacy.com. For more information on global sponsorship funding or partnership contributions, visit www.flipthepharmacy.com.

If you have feedback or even questions about the program, please email us at: info@flipthepharmacy.com. 1 - Viswanathan M, Golin CE, Jones CD, et al. Interventions to improve adherence to self-administered medications for chronic diseases in the United States: a systematic review. Ann Intern Med. 2012;157(11):785-95. Watanabe JH, Mcinnis T, Hirsch JD. Cost of prescription drug-related morbidity and mortality. Ann Pharmacother. 2018;1060028018765159. doi: 10.1177/1060028018765159.