Program involves pharmacists in chronic disease care

A new pilot program underway at a string of federally-funded community health centers hopes to improve patient care and lower costs by involving pharmacists in the care of chronically-ill patients. The program's participants include JWCH Clinic at the Weingart Center in Los Angeles, which has had such a program for diabetes for the past two years. Diabetics who participated in the program reduced their blood sugar levels by 3.7 percentage points and reduced blood pressure to almost-normal levels. Another participating facility is El Rio Community Health Center in Tucson, AZ, where participating diabetics had lower blood sugar levels than patients who got standard care. Jimmy Mitchell, Office of Pharmacy Affairs director for the Health Resources and Services Administration, calls the program the "future of the practice of pharmacy."

To find out more about the program:
- read this Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report item

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