UW Health Pharmacy Practice Model Vision

UW Health Pharmacy's vision is to create and maintain a comprehensive pharmacy practice model to optimize the care of patients and achieve organizational goals. A comprehensive model is one in which all pharmacists accept a broad range of responsibilities within an integrated staffing model for patient care services including orders management and some distributive functions and where pharmacists with specialized training or skills are essential and engaged in activities that advance practice, quality, education and research.

General Principles

• Advance our integrated practice model, while developing and maximizing pharmacists’ competency and knowledge in areas of specialty practice.
• Embrace and expand the role of pharmacy technicians.
• Maximize use of automation and decision support.
• We must be accountable for patient outcomes.
• We must document the positive outcomes of pharmacist care.
• Ambulatory practice (clinics, procedure areas, primary care) is equal priority with inpatient care.

The Pharmacist's Role

• All patients cared for at UW Health will be able to tell a story about a pharmacist that positively impacted their care.
• Pharmacists will practice at the top of their license.
• Pharmacists will collaborate with patients and providers as active members of the health care team, accountable for assuring optimal, safe, evidence-based and cost-effective medication therapy to maximize medication related outcomes.
• Inpatient pharmacists will maintain an active, defined and integral role in daily interdisciplinary patient care rounds.
• Pharmacists will be accountable for ensuring UW Health is a top 10 performer among academic medical centers in medication-related quality and pay for performance metrics.
• Pharmacists will document their patient care plans, activities, and related outcomes in the electronic health record (EHR) in an efficient manner which is integrated with documentation of other providers.
• In order to assure optimal patient care, pharmacists will collaboratively develop and work within protocols, guidelines and other documents that expand scope of practice in all care areas to include monitoring, initiating and/or adjusting medication therapy.
• Pharmacists will be scheduled in a manner which optimizes consistent care for patients.

Pharmacist Education, Training and Credentialing

• Pharmacists will be credentialed (e.g. board certified) and trained at the highest level achievable within their area of practice.
• We will only employ pharmacists with ASHP-accredited PGY1 residency training or equivalent experience.
• We will prefer the completion of an ASHP-accredited PGY2 residency training program or attainment of equivalent experience for pharmacists practicing in highly specialized areas and caring for complex patients.

Resident Training and Practice

• We will utilize an effective preceptor development program to maximize the quality of pharmacy student and resident teaching and mentoring.
• Residents, students and interns will be fully integrated into the pharmacy practice model and be heldaccountable for the care of patients commensurate with their knowledge, skills, and abilities under thesupervision of a precepting pharmacist.
• Our pharmacy residency training programs will develop the skills and abilities of future practitionersto adequately meet the needs of patients, UW Health and the pharmacy profession.

Pharmacist Publication, Presentations and Research

• We will maintain an environment where all pharmacists can fulfill their obligation to serve as leaders in advancing pharmacy practice, research, and education.
• Pharmacists will collaborate and partner UW School of Pharmacy faculty on teaching and researchinitiatives and projects.
• Pharmacy department leadership will provide resources to assist pharmacists and technicians toadvance research, publications, grants, and presentations.

Technician Role, Training, and Credentialing

• The role of the pharmacy technician will be expanded to the maximum extent possible to complete activities that do not require a pharmacist’s clinical or professional judgment, in order to increase time available for pharmacists to perform patient care activities and to optimize the safety and effectiveness of the medication use process.
• We will maintain a competent, credentialed pharmacy technician workforce qualified to help manage the growing complexities of the medication use system in order to optimize pharmacist participation in direct patient care services and optimize our comprehensive practice model.

Automation and Information Technology

• We will support and advocate for clinical decision support tools that help identify patients most inneed of a pharmacists’ immediate attention to guide the most efficient use of pharmacy resources.
• Practice will be supported by technology that facilitates remote pharmacy care and service when appropriate.
• Technology and automation will be optimized to improve efficiency, reduce cost and better utilize resources to support practice and optimal patient care.

Transitions in Care

• Pharmacists will be accountable for providing medication teaching in all care settings and throughout transitions of care with special attention to high-risk patient populations, first-dose teaching, post-care phone calls and development of teaching tools.
• Pharmacists will provide advanced patient care services for high-risk patients in UW Health ambulatory pharmacies, primary care and specialty clinics. These services will be provided in an integrated fashion and incorporate standards of practice which enable reimbursement for their provision.
• Pharmacists will maintain accountability for reconciling and communicating medication therapy plans between all care areas. All patients will receive at least an annual medication check-up by a pharmacist.
• UW Health ambulatory pharmacies will strive to be recognized as the ambulatory pharmacy provider of choice in Dane County and the preeminent specialty medication provider in the state of Wisconsin.