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UCSF Medication Management Services-Fresno UCSF Medication Management Services-Fresno Collage

UCSF Medication Management Service-Fresno delivering medication help to the Central Valley community

Our Services

UCSF Medication Management Service-Fresno helps providers and their patients in 3 ways: This scope of services allows our clinical pharmacists to be ensure your patients get the best results from their medications.


1. Medication Therapy Management Consultations — for patients and providers
Collaborating with providers, pharmacists can improve health outcomes, reduce cost to patient and health care system, and improve the accuracy of medication histories.

Medication Therapy Management ConsultationsPharmacist-provided medication therapy reviews and consultations reduce unscheduled physician visits, emergency room visits, hospital days, and overall costs. In addition, pharmacists obtain more accurate medication-related information.

Medication Therapy Management Consultations include:
  • Complete medication review/consultation
  • Diabetes medication consultation/management
  • Warfarin (Coumadin) management
  • Herbal products/dietary supplements consultation.
These consultations identify:
  • Duplicate, unnecessary, or inappropriate medication therapy
  • Uncontrolled chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol
  • Duplicate, unnecessary, or inappropriate medication therapy
  • Drug monitoring (warfarin)
  • Drug interactions/adverse drug effects
  • Need for preventive therapyCost-saving opportunities.


2. Medication Adherence Assistance — for patients

Working with patients, pharmacists can increase medication adherence.
Packaging patients' medications into multi-dose adherence packaging improves patient adherence. The assistance provided by the UCSF Medication Management Service-Fresno improves upon the patient-reliant pillbox method by providing patients with pharmacist assistance in organizing their medications into labeled adherence facilitating packets.

Doc-U-Dose prescription management system, which enhances he ability of patients to take all medications as scheduledMedication Adherence Assistance includes:
    Using the Doc-U-Dose prescription management system, which enhances he ability of patients to take all medications as scheduled.

    Each packet:
    • Holds up to seven different medications
    • Is color-coded and clearly marked based on four dosing times (morning, noon, evening, bedtime)
    • Is labeled with patient name, medication name, dosage instructions, health care provider’s name, and day of the week
    • Opens easily by tearing along clearly marked tab.
    • Counseling patients on the importance of adherence



3. Medication Access Assistance — for patients

Working with patients, pharmacists can help patients get the most affordable medicines.
Working with patients, pharmacists can help patients get the most affordable medicines Medication assistance programs (also called patient assistance programs) provide qualifying, very low-income patients with free medications from pharmaceutical companies. These programs can be difficult for patients to navigate. In addition, the programs do not label the medications with directions for use by the patient, which can cause confusion and inadvertent medication errors.

The poverty rate in Fresno is 26%, and the concentrated poverty rate is the highest in the nation at 43.5%. In other words, Fresno has a high percentage of patients at the poverty line with reduced access to health services, including pharmacy services. Many of these Fresno residents qualify for medication assistance programs.

The UCSF Medication Management Service-Fresno registers low-income patients for FREE medications through various medication assistance programs.

Medication Assistance Programs Help includes:
  • Accessing the patient’s eligibility for medication assistance programs and finding those for which the patient qualifies
  • An initial medication review to ensure the patient is receiving the most effective, safe and inexpensive medication regimen
  • Resolution of any medication-related problems including discussions with primary care providers or referring providers
  • Completion of paperwork for the appropriate medication assistance programs
  • Receipt of medications, and personal handover of medications to the patient along with one-on-one medication use counseling.

Reduced Fees
We discount the patient fees charged by the UCSF Medication Management Service-Fresno in order to increase access by underserved patients in the greater Fresno community.

Our fees are:
  • $10 to $60 per visit, depending on the type of service and insurance held by the patient
  • Reduced by 67% because of financial support from the UCSF School of Pharmacy
Referrences
1. Medication Therapy Management in Community Pharmacy Practice: Core Components of Community Pharmacy MTM. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2005;45(5):573-579

2. Gurwich EL. Comparison of medication histories acquired by pharmacists and physicians. Am J Hosp physicians. Pharm. 1983;40:1541-2. 1.

3. Cranor CW, Bunting BA, Christensen DB. The Asheville project: long-term clinical and economic outcomes of a community pharmacy diabetes care program. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2003;43:173-90.

4. Jameson J, VanNoord G, Vanderwould K. The impact of a pharmacotherapy consultation on the cost and outcome of medical therapy. J Fam Pract. 1995;41:469-72.

5. Galt KA. Cost avoidance, acceptance, and outcomes associated with a pharmacotherapy consult clinic in a Veterans Affairs medical center. Pharmacotherapy. 1998;18:1103-11.

6. Huang H, Maguire M, Miller E, Appel L. Impact of pill organizers and blister packs on adherence to pill taking in two vitamin supplementation trials. Am J Epidemiol. 2000 Oct 15: 152(8): 780-7.