Evaluation of the potential impact of pharmacy technician performance of anticoagulation clinic tasks on operational efficiency.

Purpose Results of a study to determine the proportion of anticoagulation clinic workload that could be performed by clinical pharmacy technicians (CPTs) and the potential impact on operational efficiency of pharmacist-managed anticoagulation clinics (ACCs) are reported. Methods In a quality improve...

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Published in:American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy Vol. 76; no. 16; pp. 1248 - 1254
Main Authors: Ourth, Heather L, Folstad, Jon, Mambourg, Scott E, Hopwood, Geena, Marchiando, Christy, Combs, Carolyn, Gonzalez, Carrie
Format: research tables/charts Journal Article
Published: Oxford University Press / USA Aug2019
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      pub: Oxford University Press / USA
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        atl: Evaluation of the potential impact of pharmacy technician performance of anticoagulation clinic tasks on operational efficiency.
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        au:
          Ourth, Heather L
          Folstad, Jon
          Mambourg, Scott E
          Hopwood, Geena
          Marchiando, Christy
          Combs, Carolyn
          Gonzalez, Carrie
        affil: Pharmacy Benefits Management, Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC
      sug:
        subj:
          Anticoagulants
          Workload
          Pharmacist Attitudes
          Pharmacy Technicians Psychosocial Factors
          Job Performance Evaluation
          Professional Competence Evaluation
          Organizational Efficiency
          Quality Improvement
          Task Performance and Analysis
          Human
          United States Department of Veterans Affairs
          Outcome Assessment
          Salaries and Fringe Benefits
          Business
      ab: Purpose Results of a study to determine the proportion of anticoagulation clinic workload that could be performed by clinical pharmacy technicians (CPTs) and the potential impact on operational efficiency of pharmacist-managed anticoagulation clinics (ACCs) are reported. Methods In a quality improvement project involving 11 Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers, investigators conducted a 3-day time study in pharmacist-managed ACCs followed by scoring of task appropriateness for CPTs via the RAND/UCLA appropriateness method by the VA Anticoagulation Subject Matter Expert (SME) Workgroup. The primary outcome was the percentage of tasks deemed appropriate for a CPT to perform. Results The Anticoagulation SME Workgroup determined that a wide variety of mainly administrative ACC tasks could be completed by a CPT. At the 11 VA ACCs, an average of 53.4% (range, 39.9–76.1%) of tasks being performed by pharmacists were deemed appropriate for CPTs. The average percentage of total clinic time associated with performing tasks appropriate for a CPT equated to an estimated 1,111 hours per year. Shifting that portion of the annual work hours to a CPT could potentially result in cost avoidance of $55,302. Conclusion At the ACCs evaluated, a significant proportion of tasks (53.4% on average) may be appropriate to assign to CPTs to improve the operational efficiency of these clinics. This finding supports development of business plans for the addition of CPTs in ACCs along with elements to inform crafting of an effective template for ACC structure, including clearly defined CPT roles.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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