Resumen de Senior pharmassist: less hospital use with enrollment in an innovative community‐based program
Leah B. Herity, Gina Upchurch, Anna P. Schenck
Objectives To evaluate changes in acute health services use of Senior PharmAssist participants.
Design Retrospective analysis.
Setting Community‐based, nonprofit program in Durham County, North Carolina.
Participants Adults aged 60 and older with income of 200% of the federal poverty level or less who enrolled in the Senior PharmAssist program (N = 191) between August 1, 2011, and March 15, 2017.
Intervention Medication therapy management (MTM), customized community referrals, Medicare insurance counseling, and medication copayment assistance provided by Senior PharmAssist.
Measurements Primary outcomes were self‐reported emergency department (ED) visits and hospital admissions in the previous year, assessed at baseline and every 6 months for up to 2 years.
Results Mean number of ED visits declined over time (0.83 visits per year at baseline to 0.53 visits per year at 24 months, P = .002), as did the percentage of participants reporting an ED visit in the past year (49% at baseline to 31% at 24 months, P = .003). Mean hospital admissions also decreased (0.56 admissions per year at baseline to 0.4 admissions per year at 24 months, P = .02). There was no significant change in percentage of participants reporting a hospital admission in the past year (33% at baseline to 25% at 24 months, P = .23).
Conclusion Older adults who enrolled in a community‐based program that helps them manage medications, connect with community resources, and overcome barriers to medication access experienced reductions in acute health services use. J Am Geriatr Soc 66:2394–2400, 2018.
