NCPA pilot program IDs thousands at risk of stroke, heart disease

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A new pilot program between the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) Innovation Center, CPESN Community Health and Bristol Myers Squibb highlights the key role of rural pharmacies in identifying and screening patients at risk of stroke and heart disease. The program, they say, underscores the importance of patient access to local pharmacies. “In rural America, independent community pharmacies are often the only accessible health care providers,” said NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey. “Many people in these areas may not have ready access to a doctor, but they frequently visit their local pharmacy. So, the local pharmacist is in a good position to identify at-risk patients, provide screening and counseling, connect patients with social services, and refer them to physicians for medical care so they can maintain or even improve their quality of life.” Data from the first phase of the pilot was collected over six months from 25 pharmacies in six states (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Missouri) known as the “Stroke Belt” because of its high prevalence of cardiovascular disease. According to data from the program:

• The 25 pharmacies participating in the program identified nearly 10,000 at-risk patients, had more than 11,000 encounters with those patients, and made more than 20,000 interventions in just six months. More than 6,100 encounters took place in a pharmacy. More than 3,500 happened during a telehealth visit. The rest occurred in the community. 
• Among the patients screened for stroke risk, roughly 2,700 received education from pharmacy staff, and another 267 were referred to a physician for follow-up care.
• Among patients screened for atrial fibrillation, pharmacy staff detected 400 whose heart rhythm was abnormal. Eighty-one percent of them were referred to a physician. Fifteen percent didn’t have a primary physician, so pharmacy staff found one for them and made a referral.