Name
B05 - Integration of Behavioral Health Pharmacist into Primary Care: Review of Benefits within a Large University Healthcare System
Description

The integration of behavioral health pharmacy services in primary care not only increases access to brief and effective mental health care, but it also provides a practical and valid method to address psychotropic medication management need for patients with mild to moderate mental health disorders (Pomerantz et al, 2008). This level of integration also bridges the gap between primary care and psychiatry (Silvia, RJ, 2014). With about 80% of all psychotropic medication being prescribed in primary care and about 90% of benzodiazepines being prescribed in this context as well (Olfson, et al, 2019), it is imperative to find new ways of increasing awareness of best use of these medication for a variety of different diagnoses. Furbish and colleagues in their 2017 study found that a pharmacist-physician collaboration lead to lower rates of benzodiazepine prescriptions for both anxiety and insomnia diagnoses, we are interested to see if we found the same through an integrated care model approach.

Date & Time
Thursday, October 24, 2024, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Content Level
All Audience
Tags
Cost Effectiveness or Financial sustainability, Primary Care Behavioral Health Model, Team-based care
Session Type
Concurrent
SIG or Committee
PCBH
Location Name
Bowie C
Objective 1
Learn at least one way a Behavioral Health Pharmacist can benefit the primary care team
Objective 2
Be able to identify how pharmacist-physician collaboration can help overall patient care
Objective 3
Identify one key area of improvement for future growth
Content Reference 1
Giberson, S., Yoder, S., & Lee, M. P. (n.d.). Improving patient and health system outcomes through advanced pharmacy practice.
Content Reference 2
Furbish SML, Kroehl ME, Loeb DF, et al. A Pharmacist–Physician Collaboration to Optimize Benzodiazepine Use for Anxiety and Sleep Symptom Control in Primary Care. Journal of Pharmacy Practice. 2017;30(4):425-433. doi:10.1177/0897190016660435
Content Reference 3
Goldstone, L. W., DiPaula, B. A., Werremeyer, A., Botts, S., Hepburn, B., Liu, H. Y., … Kelly, D. L. (2021). The Role of Board-Certified Psychiatric Pharmacists in Expanding Access to Care and Improving Patient Outcomes. Psychiatric Services, 72(7), 794–801. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.202000066