Asante Pharmacy Team Honored for Improving Patient Care

Innovative program demonstrates better outcomes for patients

MEDFORD, Ore.  October 15, 2014— Pharmacy staff at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center is among six groups nationwide to receive this year’s Best Practices in Health System Pharmacy Awards, from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

Asante pharmacists Sarah White and Deborah Sanchez applied for the award based on the project they authored, “Implementation and Successes of Inpatient Medication Therapy Management Program.” The project, started in 2007 by the Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center’s inpatient pharmacy, sought to improve therapeutic outcomes for patients through care provided by pharmacists.

Each Medication Therapy Management (MTM) consultation includes a face-to-face interview with the patient, thorough documentation in the medical record, and assessment of the patient’s medication-related problems. Pharmacists may then change medication doses, order laboratory tests, or provide education. The program has become the framework for other clinical services and responsibilities for pharmacists, and has increased the visibility of pharmacists within the health-care team.

The Asante pharmacists’ Best Practices award will be presented during the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ Midyear Clinical meeting in Anaheim, Calif., in December.

The pharmacist organization’s Best Practices Award is an annual recognition program sponsored by the biopharmaceutical company Amgen. The award program recognizes outstanding practitioners in health system pharmacy. Applicants for the Best Practices Award are judged on their programs’ originality, innovation, and significance, along with demonstration of improvements and quality of descriptive reports.

A maximum of six health system pharmacy programs are recognized each year. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists has more than 40,000 members, including pharmacists, student pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.