Many Paths, One Purpose: A student pharmacist’s atlas to health reform and beyond

John Michael O’Brien, PharmD, MPHAssistant Professor

College of Notre Dame of MarylandSchool of Pharmacy

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What Path Are We On?

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1415

16

17

13

12

11

% of GDP

$2.3 Trillion$7,421 per capita

CostsCoverage

8182

83

84

80

79

78

Life Expectancy

2%

4%5%

8%

6%

Infant Mortality

QualityCHECK CHRONIC DISEASE

NO BRAKES

4445

46

47

43

42

41

K/UiPD

#Ui

10

1112

13

14

3

Where Are They Trying to Go?

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broken sick care systemaffordable stable quality care

by public option?

Driving Directions to $894b proj net cost - about 10 years (but reduce the deficit by $9b in 2019)

1. Reform the insurance market to lower barriers to coverage

2. Require everyone to have health insurance (Partial Toll Road)

3. Create subsidies to make insurance affordable4. Lower costs and improve quality with delivery

system reform and encouraging prevention and wellness (Scenic Byway)1. Patient Centered Medical Home &

Community Health Teams to reduce hospitalization

2. Health Information Technology3. Comparative Effectiveness Research4. Correct Geographic Variation

5. Create financing mechanisms to generate revenue necessary to offset new costs

6. Avoid hard right or hard left turns in conference committee (60 votes required)“pharmacy” OR “pharmacist”

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How will this AFFECT pharmacy?

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1.if [more people have coverage] then “more people will be using prescription drugs”

2.if [more people are using drugs] then “under-, over-, and suboptimal utilization increases”

3.if [hospitals aren’t paid for readmissions] then “they will be encouraged to help people make the best use of medicines”

4.if [we’re serious about reducing disparities] then “care must be more patient-centered”

5.if [clinical effectiveness is compared] then “personalized medicine becomes more important”

6.if [state-federal interaction increases] then “politics becomes more local”

9.

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Where Are WE Trying to Go?

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Your Future

Your Hands

JCPP 2015 Vision Statement: Pharmacists will be the health care

professionals responsible for providing patient care that ensures optimal medication therapy

outcomes.

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No DateIntroduce yourself to your patients

Devour the newspaper/local news every dayCommit to the JCPP Vision

Create your own personal vision statement

TodayIntroduce yourself to your state/federal legislators

Identify local disease/patient* advocacy groupsBecome familiar with Health 2.0

Become an expert in prevention and wellness

Seniors, Minorities &

Women

State Legislators

Health 2.0

Transition of Care

Public Health

Prevention & Wellness Research

TomorrowHelp everyone get well, stay healthy, save money

Communicate effectively as often as possible

* Strong focus on women, seniors, and minority groups10

What’s on our To-Do list?

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Questions?

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