Implementation of performance metrics to assess pharmacists' activities in ambulatory care clinics

Purpose. The development and implementation of performance metrics for assessing the impact of pharmacists' activities in ambulatory care clinics are described. Summary. Ambulatory care clinic pharmacists within an integrated health system were surveyed to ascertain baseline practices for documenting and tracking performance metrics. Through literature review and meetings with various stakeholders, priorities for metric development were identified; measures of care quality, financial impact, and patient experience were developed. To measure the quality of care, pharmacists' interventions at five ambulatory care clinics within the health system were assessed. Correlation of pharmacist interventions with estimated cost avoidance provided a measure of financial impact. Surveys were distributed at the end of clinic visits to measure satisfaction with the patient care experience. An electronic system for metric documentation and automated tabulation of data on quality and financial impact was built. In a 12-week pilot program conducted at three clinic sites, the metrics were used to assess pharmacists' activities. A total of 764 interventions were documented (a mean of 24 accepted recommendations per pharmacist full-time equivalent each week), resulting in estimated cost avoidance of more than $40,000; survey results indicated high patient satisfaction with the services provided by pharmacists. Biweekly report auditing and solicitation of feedback guided metric refinement and further training of pharmacists. Tools and procedures were established for future metric expansion. Conclusion. Development and implementation of performance metrics resulted in successful capture and characterization of pharmacists' activities and their impact on patient care in three ambulatory care clinics.