Integrating pharmacists into a kidney transplant clinic: Developing and implementing a collaborative pharmacy practice agreement

Abstract Background Collaborative pharmacy practice agreements (CPPAs) grant patient care authorities to pharmacists (PharmDs) under a scope of practice without direct physician supervision. Objectives The aim of this study was to discuss steps for developing and implementing a CPPA in an outpatient renal transplant clinic and assess changes in physician and nurse burden, integrated pharmacy growth, and patient safety. Practice description A CPPA was developed between physicians and pharmacists and implemented into a renal transplant clinic and the integrated pharmacy over the course of several years. Practice innovation CPPA execution in a post-transplant clinic has not been previously described and is needed to help advance patient care delivery models. Evaluation methods This single center, retrospective study compared immunosuppressant prescriptions generated by each authorizer type (nurse, physician, pharmacist) across 3 time periods: before pharmacist integration, during CPPA development, and after CPPA implementation. Pharmacy manpower and patient safety concerns post-CPPA implementation were also reviewed. Results Results show that prescription authorization migrated from either a nurse or physician (57% and 43% respectively) in pre-PharmD period, to mostly by physicians (72%) in PharmD pre-CPPA period, and largely by pharmacists (85%) in PharmD post-CPPA period. Quarterly prescription volume increased (6019 in quarter 3 of 2015 vs. 14,806 in quarter 4 of 2018) and integrated pharmacy staff grew from 8 employees (Pre-PharmD period) to 20 in PharmD post-CPPA period. No safety concerns were reported in any time period. Conclusion CPPAs have the advantage of reducing physician and nurse workload related to prescribing and advancing the role of the pharmacist by utilizing their expertise to take over certain tasks. Lessons learned during the CPPA implementation process include identifying needs, promoting maximal utility of pharmacists, and maintaining optimal communication between the healthcare team.