Overwhelmed primary care teams can lead to increased costs and strain on the health system as a whole, as well as unnecessarily high morbidity and mortality rates from sub-optimally managed chronic conditions and avoidable medication related problems. An innovative solution in various stages of maturity across the country, from pilot phase to full adoption, is the integration of clinical pharmacists to the care team. This virtual training will describe how clinics can integrate Comprehensive Medication Management (CMM) services by clinical pharmacists. Clinical pharmacists, working hand in hand with primary care providers, can improve health outcomes for hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic conditions. The training will also describe how clinical pharmacy technicians can assist with CMM responsibilities to increase pharmacist time, enhance patient experience, and improve satisfaction amongst pharmacists, technicians, clinicians and patients. It will include case studies from other LA County FQHCs that have found success with integrating clinical pharmacists into a collaborative model for team-based care.

During this training, participants will:

• Define Comprehensive Medication Management (CMM) and its impact on top priorities in healthcare, such as quality and safety.
• Analyze the key criteria for successful implementation of CMM.
• Describe the value proposition of CMM and the process for assuring maximum return on investment.
• Explain how clinical pharmacy technicians increase efficiency and satisfaction of clinical pharmacists providing CMM services.
• Describe the impact of clinical pharmacy technicians on patient care through their roles and responsibilities in CMM services.

Presented by:

Steven Chen, PharmD, FASHP, FCSHP, FNAP, Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs; Heeres Chair in Community Pharmacy; Professor of Clinical Pharmacy, University of Southern California, School of Pharmacy

Michael Hochman, MD, MPH, CEO, Healthcare In Action

Jessica Abraham, PharmD, APh, Director of Population Health, University of Southern California, School of Pharmacy

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Complimentary to CCALAC Members and Affiliates

Instructor Biographies:

Steven Chen, PharmD, FASHP, FCSHP, FNAP, Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs; Heeres Chair in Community Pharmacy; Professor of Clinical Pharmacy, University of Southern California, School of Pharmacy

In addition to his roles as professor and dean, Dr. Chen is part of a team of USC faculty directing $12 million grant-funded research, evaluating the impact of pharmacist-managed patient care services for under-resourced populations. Dr. Chen actively partners with the State of California Department of Public Health in evolving the state laws and regulations on the practice of pharmacy. His current clinical practice role includes the supervision of clinical and consultative pharmacy services to 19 safety net community clinics in Southern California. At these clinics, Dr. Chen oversees teams of clinical pharmacists, pharmacy residents, pharmacy students and pharmacy techs. Prior to joining the USC faculty in 1998, Dr. Chen provided administrative and clinical services to Cedars-Sinai Medical Group (CSMG) in Beverly Hills and served as a Faculty-in-Residence at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. From 1994-1998, Dr. Chen served as Clinical and Residency Coordinator at the VA Outpatient Clinic in Los Angeles. Prior to that, he helped develop the Ambulatory Care and Education Program at Sepulveda VA Medical Center also in Los Angeles. Dr. Chen’s responsibilities include the provision of disease management and consultative services and coordination of clerkship students at several safety net clinics. Pharmacist-run disease management services provided include asthma, dyslipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, and heart failure. His lecture topics for the School of Pharmacy and postgraduate education include: asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, arthritis, dyslipidemia, and other cardiovascular diseases. Chen received an honorary fellowship of the California Society of Health-System Pharmacists in 2000 and an honorary fellowship of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) in 2001. He received the Best Practices Award from ASHP in 2002 and has NABP certification in dyslipidemia and asthma management. Dr. Chen has received 7 teaching awards from USC students and residents. In 2013, Dr. Chen was awarded the American Pharmacists Association Foundation Pinnacle Award for Individual Achievement.

Michael Hochman, MD, MPH, CEO, Healthcare In Action

Dr. Hochman is a board-certified general internist and an active physician who provides care within the medical group. He previously served as the inaugural director of the USC Gehr Family Center for Health Systems Science and Innovation; the Medical Director for Innovation at AltaMed Health Services; and the Senior Health Deputy for LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. He attended Harvard Medical School. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the Cambridge Health Alliance and was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Fellow at UCLA. As an instructor, Dr. Hochman has won several clinical teaching awards from Harvard Medical School and LAC+USC Medical Center. He has written on health topics for the Boston Globe and other publications and is the founding editor of the 50 Studies Every Doctor Should Know book series, published by Oxford University Press.

Jessica Abraham, PharmD, APh, Director of Population Health, University of Southern California, School of Pharmacy

Jessica Abraham, PharmD, APh, is Director of Population Health for the University of Southern California (USC) School of Pharmacy, where she establishes partnerships with stakeholders to develop value-based pharmacy strategies aligned with their population health priorities. She directs the USC Virtual Pharmacist Care Center (VPCC), which provides medication management services remotely. Her USC VPCC team is comprised of clinical pharmacists and technicians as well as pharmacy residents, interns and students who support the provision of clinical services using a combination of video and/or telephonic outreach. Additionally, she manages the operations of various population health initiatives at USC, such as the California Right Meds Collaborative (CRMC), which is an innovative healthcare solution that pairs physicians with pharmacists to save time, money and lives. Dr. Abraham completed her Doctorate of Pharmacy and PGY-1 pharmacy practice residency in ambulatory care at the USC School of Pharmacy. Previous to her current employment with USC, she worked in HealthCare Partners, now part of Optum as of 2019. Dr. Abraham was also one of the lead pharmacists providing care as part of USC’s $12 million CMMI grant promoting pharmacists collaboratively working with physicians to improve patient care and health outcomes while reducing costs.