Implementation and Evaluation of a Lipid Screening Program
Implementation and Evaluation of a Lipid Screening Program
Objective: To evaluate the implementation of a lipid testing service across an entire market of a large chain pharmacy.
Design: Observational study using a validated satisfaction scale.
Setting: Nine Osco Drug pharmacies in Des Moines, Iowa.
Main Outcome Measures: Number of patients choosing to participate in a fee-for-service lipid screening program, type of test chosen, effects of marketing on service volume, and patient satisfaction.
Results: A total of 159 screenings were performed in the 9 pharmacies. The majority of patients (79.7%) chose the more expensive fasting lipid profile, and service volume seemed to correspond to the number and intensity of marketing efforts. There was a trend toward increased patient satisfaction with the services represented by the Managing Therapy and Friendly Explanation dimensions addressed in the survey.
Conclusion: Patients were willing to pay out-of-pocket for lipid screening. More efforts need to be devoted to marketing this service to create value for the customer and to establish it as a viable component of pharmacy business.
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the number one killer of men and women in the United States. In 1997, 466,101 deaths in the United States (1 in every 5) were caused by CAD, and CAD was mentioned as a primary or contributing cause in over 600,000 of the more than 2,000,000 deaths in this country. Because of the prevalence and consequences of this disease, there is a high public awareness of CAD and the role that lipid levels play in its development. Still, the American Heart Association estimates that 99,500,000 American adults have total blood cholesterol levels greater than 200 mg/dL and that about 39,900,000 American adults have levels greater than 240 mg/dL.
Many pharmacy practices have incorporated lipid testing. Project ImPACT: Hyperlipidemia, implemented in 26 community pharmacies, demonstrated that "pharmacists can work with patients and physicians to effectively identify patients with lipid disorders who require treatment and support them in their efforts to improve persistence, compliance, and treatment to goal." Madejski and Madejski reported on a program of providing free cholesterol tests. Of 539 patients enrolled in their study, 78% had abnormal cholesterol levels. Jungnickel and Wisehart found that while 83 of 308 (26.9%) pharmacies in Nebraska reported having at least one cholesterol screening event, pharmacists were relatively uninvolved in the screening process and the provision of information to or follow-up contact with the screened patients.
Therefore, although lipid testing is a familiar pharmacy service, many questions remain. For example, what is the best method of implementing lipid screening in a pharmacy practice? What is the need for this type of service? What are patients' attitudes toward acceptance of this service? Are they willing to pay for lipid screening?
Objective: To evaluate the implementation of a lipid testing service across an entire market of a large chain pharmacy.
Design: Observational study using a validated satisfaction scale.
Setting: Nine Osco Drug pharmacies in Des Moines, Iowa.
Main Outcome Measures: Number of patients choosing to participate in a fee-for-service lipid screening program, type of test chosen, effects of marketing on service volume, and patient satisfaction.
Results: A total of 159 screenings were performed in the 9 pharmacies. The majority of patients (79.7%) chose the more expensive fasting lipid profile, and service volume seemed to correspond to the number and intensity of marketing efforts. There was a trend toward increased patient satisfaction with the services represented by the Managing Therapy and Friendly Explanation dimensions addressed in the survey.
Conclusion: Patients were willing to pay out-of-pocket for lipid screening. More efforts need to be devoted to marketing this service to create value for the customer and to establish it as a viable component of pharmacy business.
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the number one killer of men and women in the United States. In 1997, 466,101 deaths in the United States (1 in every 5) were caused by CAD, and CAD was mentioned as a primary or contributing cause in over 600,000 of the more than 2,000,000 deaths in this country. Because of the prevalence and consequences of this disease, there is a high public awareness of CAD and the role that lipid levels play in its development. Still, the American Heart Association estimates that 99,500,000 American adults have total blood cholesterol levels greater than 200 mg/dL and that about 39,900,000 American adults have levels greater than 240 mg/dL.
Many pharmacy practices have incorporated lipid testing. Project ImPACT: Hyperlipidemia, implemented in 26 community pharmacies, demonstrated that "pharmacists can work with patients and physicians to effectively identify patients with lipid disorders who require treatment and support them in their efforts to improve persistence, compliance, and treatment to goal." Madejski and Madejski reported on a program of providing free cholesterol tests. Of 539 patients enrolled in their study, 78% had abnormal cholesterol levels. Jungnickel and Wisehart found that while 83 of 308 (26.9%) pharmacies in Nebraska reported having at least one cholesterol screening event, pharmacists were relatively uninvolved in the screening process and the provision of information to or follow-up contact with the screened patients.
Therefore, although lipid testing is a familiar pharmacy service, many questions remain. For example, what is the best method of implementing lipid screening in a pharmacy practice? What is the need for this type of service? What are patients' attitudes toward acceptance of this service? Are they willing to pay for lipid screening?
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