Collaborative Drug Therapy Management Policies: Strengthening the Role of Pharmacists in Team-based Care for Prevention and Management of Chronic Disease

Pharmacist engagement in interdisciplinary health management with physicians and other providers can significantly improve patients' health. Collaborative drug therapy management (CDTM) is one of the main components of team-based care that shows promise for preventing and managing chronic disease. It includes a formal agreement between pharmacists, physicians, and other health care providers in which the pharmacist provides patient care following an agreed upon protocol. CDTM may include initiating, discontinuing, and adjusting a medication dosage or type and communicating with the provider and patient about the patient's health status, medications, adverse reactions, and other information. States typically regulate CDTM through scope of practice acts and Boards of Pharmacy and Medicine regulations. There are over 60,000 community-based pharmacies employing over 175,000 pharmacists across the US. By enacting policies that encourage pharmacists and physicians to engage in CDTM, a significant portion of the adult population could have access to pharmacists' clinical services, resulting in improved health outcomes, better health care, and lower costs. Few evidence-based resources exist to educate policy makers about scope of practice laws for chronic disease management. This presentation will describe (1) the current status of state laws regulating the CDTM component of team-based patient care, (2) the barriers, facilitators, and policy factors identified by a consortium of pharmacy stakeholders who have contributed to the implementation of effective collaborative practices, and (3) key policy elements that contribute to successful implementation and sustainability of interdisciplinary care that includes pharmacists.