PHARMACY Guild executive director David Quilty says it is vital for community pharmacies to embrace collaborative care and integration with the broader health system "or they risk being seen as merely transacting medicine supply but superfluous to patient care".
Writing in his fortnightly Forefront update yesterday, Quilty highlighted the imminent rollout of the Health Care Homes trials and the My Health Record system as key opportunities to begin embracing the future.
The GP-led Health Care Homes trials will take place in 10 Primary Health Networks, focusing on the coordinated care of patients with complex and chronic health needs.
The Pharmacy Compact negotiated with Health Minister Greg Hunt last year will for the first time see community pharmacies remunerated for collaborating with GP practices and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services to address the ongoing medication-related support needs for patients in the trials.
Eligible participants will benefit from coordinated medication management services delivered by their community pharmacy of choice, including an initial medication reconciliation and the development of a collaborative Medication Management Plan.
This will be followed by regular reviews by the community pharmacy to maximise continuity of care and improved chronic disease management, Quilty said.
Each Health Care Homes trial patient will have a My Health Record, and health professionals participating in the programs, including community pharmacies, will be strongly encouraged to upload shared care plans and medication management programs to the health record.
Quilty said more broadly the My Health Record provided a "step-change opportunity to integrate community pharmacies with the rest of the health system.
"Until now, from an IT perspective, community pharmacies have largely operated in a vacuum with little visibility of their patients' interactions with other health care providers (or with other pharmacies)," he said.
Similarly the clinical support regularly provided by local pharmacists has remained invisible to the broader health system.
"Over time the My Health Record will play a key role in overcoming these IT silos," Quilty added.
He noted that more than 40% of community pharmacies are now registered with the My Health Record system, with more being added each week.
To apply and register see digitalhealth.gov.au.
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