DuMez Lecturer: Put Patients at the Center of Care

APhA Foundation Executive Tells Pharmacy Students They Can Help Patients Beat Chronic Disease.

By Jeffrey Raymond
April 3, 2007

At a time of unprecedented medical know-how and unparalleled access to treatment, pharmacy executive William Ellis, RPh, MS, said the latest generation of Americans may have something that’s unheard of-shorter life spans than their parents.

It’s not just that chronic conditions like diabetes, asthma, and hypertension, among others, are at “epidemic proportions,” Ellis told those who packed Pharmacy Hall at the University of Maryland, Baltimore on March 27 for the annual Andrew G. DuMez Memorial Lecture. The problem is made worse because about half the patients on medication to treat their diseases simply drop off their regimens after a year. “We’ve got the ability to change that because we interact with patients,” said Ellis, executive director and chief executive officer of the American Pharmacists Association Foundation.

For all the “rocket science” involved in the pharmaceutical industry, said Ellis, health care providers in general, and pharmacists in particular, need to connect with patients for the treatments to be effective. Understand and monitor the patient, he said, and intervene with the patient’s other health care providers if necessary.

“Make sure the patient becomes the center of care,” he said.

Ellis cited the Asheville Project as an example of pharmacists becoming more involved in the ongoing health maintenance of patients with chronic diseases. By having pharmacists help diabetic patients monitor their health, participating employers in that North Carolina city saw sick days and worker’s compensation claims decline sharply, and health care savings reached $1,600 to $3,200 per patient annually by the second year of the program. And even though drug spending doubled, likely because patients were getting and consistently taking the prescriptions they needed, overall health costs fell.

The Asheville Project, launched by Ellis’ APhA Foundation, has inspired similar programs, including the Maryland P3 Program in Cumberland administered by the School of Pharmacy. Some 120 patients have enrolled in the Cumberland program since its August launch. “This is not a niche thing,” he said. “This is a national trend that’s starting to develop.”

In response to a student’s question, Ellis suggested that graduating pharmacy students-who typically get multiple job offers-insist that potential employers support their interest in pursuing such collaborative ventures. Advocacy is needed in state legislatures and the media, in addition to the workplace, he added. And patience is also key.

“The business model still needs to evolve,” Ellis cautioned. “There’s not a plug-and-play model just yet.”

The Andrew G. DuMez Memorial Lecture honors the man who was dean of the School of Pharmacy from 1926 to 1948. Before that, he was director of the University of the Philippines School of Pharmacy, joined the U.S. Public Health Service and represented the United States at the International Conference on Drug Standardization. He earned the highest national pharmacy award, the Remington Medal, in 1948, the year he died.