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| Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #2881 |
| Telepharmacy Pilot Project |
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| Requester: |
Mickey Presha |
Organization: |
Manatee County Rural Health Services, Inc. |
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| Project Title: |
Telepharmacy Pilot Project |
Date Submitted |
1/13/2006 10:56:44 AM |
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| Sponsors: |
Bennett |
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| Statewide Interest: |
| The need for access to and the availability of affordable prescription drugs is a pressing need, not only for the four counties we serve, but also for our state and the nation as a whole. As a federally-qualified health center, Manatee County Rural Health Services, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is uniquely positioned to provide quality health care services to all persons, regardless of their economic status. MCRHS currently operates 17 community health care centers in Manatee, Sarasota, Desoto, and Hardee counties, serving an active patient base of more than 52,000 people per year and providing more than 200,000 patient encounters per year. Many patients are uninsured and have no payment method for office visits, medications, or diagnostic testing. Other patients are on Medicaid, Medicare, or other publicly-supported health programs. This project provides a cost-effective way to make affordable medications available to patients in remote areas. Medicaid and Medicare dollars for medications will be stretched further or provide savings while uninsured patients will have a way to access affordable medications. |
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| Recipient: |
Manatee County Rural Health Services, Inc. |
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Contact: |
Frank Brunner |
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11214 US Highway 301 N. |
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Contact Phone: |
(941) 812-1180 |
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Parrish 34219 |
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Contact email: |
frank.brunner@mcrhs.org |
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| Counties: |
DeSoto, Hardee, Manatee, Sarasota |
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| Gov't Entity: |
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Private Organization (Profit/Not for Profit): |
Yes |
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| Project Description: |
| MCRHS proposes an innovative pilot/demonstration project that would assist in Medicaid reform efforts by providing Medicaid recipients, indigent people in rural and remote health centers, and health departments with access to affordable prescriptions.
MCRHS and other federally-qualified health centers and community health centers have access to 340b pricing for pharmaceuticals. Those discounts are passed on to our patients and results in a price that is approximately 30 to 50 percent below retail -- basically the equivalent to Canadian pricing.
Remote and rural health centers normally don't have the volume or resources to provide in-house pharmacies, since the staffing and stocking requirements are cost prohibitive. Therefore, many Medicaid and indigent patients in rural and remote areas don't have access to those discounted prices.
MCRHS is fielding a telepharmacy program that uses sophisticated computer software, video telephones, and high-security medicine lockers to prescribe and dispense routine medications like antibiotics, blood pressure medication, diabetes medication, etc., on site to the patients before they leave the doctor's office. We are the first agency in Florida to implement a telepharmacy program, and it works like this:
The physician on site gets a dispensing license. The site needs only to hire one additional staff member, a pharmacy tech, who processes the prescription, checks safety protocols, interacts with the pharmacist at the central pharmacy, and ultimately provides the medication and customer service functions to the patient. The physician and the patient can use video phones to conference live with the pharmacist and consult regarding questions or concerns about the proper medication. When the physician, pharmacist, and patient are satisfied that they have determined the best medication, the physician uses a secure, web-based software program to transmit the prescription to the central pharmacy. The pharmacist at the central pharmacy receives the electronic prescription and accesses the patient's profile on the pharmacy database to check routine info and safety protocols. Once the prescription is in order, the pharmacist drops the medication electronically from the central pharmacy to the remote site. The high-security medication locker with the medication stock drops the prescription in the dispensing drawer. Stock and inventory is controlled by bar scanning all product going into stock and being dispensed. The technician retrieves the medication and scans it so the system can recognize and confirm that the medication is the correct prescription. The technician then completes the transaction at the pharmacy counter, as is done at any other pharmacy.
Through this program, indigent patients and Medicaid and Medicare recipients can now access affordable medication. Additionally, they leave with the medication, so transportation issues involving travel to and from the pharmacy are eliminated. This should reduce the number of patients who are not getting medications due to price and/or availability. It should also reduce the number of patients who are splitting medications to stretch them further. Ultimately, drug therapies are essential to curing acute medical conditions, and the state will save money in the long run if people are healthier.
MCRHS is already implementing the program by delivering software, video phones, and several machines to its remote health centers. We propose a pilot study to purchase and field four additional machines at $50,000 each. These machines would be connected with partners in other areas to show the ability to network smaller communities and improve agency interaction to provide the statewide health care net discussed in last year's Medicaid reform hearings. The pilot could be studied and would involve both private and public partnerships.
It is best to implement this pilot project in Manatee County because we have already made an investment of approximately $200,000 to purchase the necessary equipment and network the system at several of our sites. Once approved and appropriated, we could be fielding the system in the new locations within 60 days. We have placed the infrastructure in our IT department; we already have the initial software in place; we have locations networked; and we have a central pharmacy staff that is trained to implement the program. The cost savings and efficiencies realized will come from merely having to expand the systems we already have in place. |
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| Is this a project related to a federal or state declared disaster? |
No |
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| Measurable Outcome Anticipated: |
| A higher medication and prescription compliance rate at less expense for Medicaid and Medicare recipients. Higher compliance should translate into better control of chronic health problems and a reduction in the rate of acute medical problems among the indigent and uninsured. |
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| Amount requested from the State for this project this year: |
$250,000 |
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| Total cost of the project: |
$500,000 |
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| Request has been made to fund: |
Operations |
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| What type of match exists for this project? |
Local |
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Cash Amount |
$250,000 |
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| Was this project previously funded by the state? |
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No |
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| Is future-year funding likely to be requested? |
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No |
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| Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request? |
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No |
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| Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget? |
No |
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| Is there a documented need for this project? |
Yes |
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Documentation: |
Needs assessment surveys, pharmacy utiliazation reports, Medicaid reform hearings |
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| Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)? |
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Yes |
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Hearing Body: |
Manatee County Legislative Delegation |
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Hearing Meeting Date: |
11/17/2005 |
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| Is this a water project as described in Section 403.885, Laws of Florida? |
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No |
