Tennessee Pharmacists Association, Blue Cross Partner to Support Pharmacists as Providers of Patient Care Services. 

Tennessee Pharmacists Research and Education Foundation Receives Grant to Improve Health Outcomes. 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 11.3 percent of adult Tennesseans have been diagnosed with diabetes, nearly 3 percent higher than the national average. In an effort to curb this trend, the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation has awarded a $195,969 grant to the Tennessee Pharmacists Research and Education Foundation (TPREF). 

The grant will enable TPREF to implement a new pharmacist-provided patient care program focused on improving the health and quality of care for diabetes patients in Tennessee by increasing access to diabetes care services. 

"The BlueCross Health Foundation has a stellar reputation as a leader in health care innovation by improving the quality of care for patients in Tennessee," said Dr. Baeteena Black, Executive Director of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association. "We are honored to work with the Health Foundation to improve the delivery of patient care services to patients and reduce the burden of unnecessary diabetes-related health care costs to the system." 

The program will seek to establish a standard for pharmacist-provided patient care services for patients with diabetes and is designed for use by any pharmacist. Participating pharmacists must complete advanced training in diabetes management and provision of diabetes-related patient care services and meet the required credentialing standards necessary to provide these services. Once credentialed, pharmacists will work with their patients, as well as with local physicians, mid-level practitioners, nurses, registered dietitians, and other key providers of diabetes-related care, to increase coordination and communication in order to improve patient care. 

"Diabetes is a growing epidemic in this state, which is why we believe in this program and what it's trying to achieve," said Elaine Manieri, Vice President of Pharmacy Management for BlueCross. "It offers a unique approach in dealing with the problem by putting pharmacists at the center of the treatment." 

TPREF has selected IQware MTM, a program developed by IQware Solutions, as its documentation system for the project. The software will help facilitate the process of placing the pharmacist as the primary point of contact for patients and other health care providers for management of patients' chronic diabetes care. It will allow pharmacists to document patient care interventions, formulate treatment plans and recommendations, and communicate goals of therapy and treatment plans with patients and/or caregivers, other health care providers, and the patient's health plan. Pharmacist training begins in July of 2012, and enrollment of patients in the program is set to begin on January 1, 2013. For more information, contact TPREF at 615-256-3023 or tpa@tnpharm.org. 

About TPREF 
The Tennessee Pharmacists Research and Education Foundation (TPREF) is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to advancing the profession of pharmacy through research and education initiatives. 

About Tennessee Health Foundation, Inc. 
The BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation, Inc. (THF) was established in December, 2003 as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation organized to promote the philanthropic mission of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. THF awards grants focused on high-impact initiatives across the state, which promote healthy lifestyle choices and help control health care costs for all Tennessee residents. Working with civic and economic partners, THF is dedicated to the support of research, innovative programs and creative approaches to improve the health and quality of life of Tennesseans for generations to come.

• 2012-07-30