Vanderbilt University Hospital has a similar approach but a different leadership strategy. Its PREDICT program is led by a group of physicians, and while pharmacists are involved, program leaders admit it was late in the game. They use a pharmacogenetics panel that provides information on up to 200 genes, and based on oversight and guidelines, they implement the drug pairs that are clinically actionable. Others are stored in a research database. Program leaders estimated that that they could save up to $5 million over a five-year period by implementing this pre-emptive genotype program and avoiding unnecessary adverse drug reactions. “This is not science fiction,” Johnson said. “This is happening now. The profession of pharmacy has a huge opportunity to latch on to pharmacogenomics and personalized healthcare, and that can be targeted at multiple levels—education, practice and advocacy.”
Applying Lessons Learned Throughout the fellowship, Johnson is bringing the knowledge and skills he’s learned back to his home institution. The University of Colorado school of pharmacy is revising and implementing a new curriculum, of which a pharmacogenomics course is required. “As part of this fellowship I’ve had the opportunity to contribute to the didactic portion and participate in the experiential education training of IPPE and APPE students specific to clinical pharmacogenomics. When you’re trying to implement something clinically, it’s invaluable to provide that experience to students and postgraduate trainees. This is where the rubber meets the road in clinical practice and patient care.” During the second year of Johnson’s fellowship, he’ll also participate in a consensus study within the IOM Roundtable on Value and Science-Driven Healthcare, which is evaluating core metrics for quality healthcare across the United States. The study will provide evidence-based recommendations for which metrics should be used by our healthcare system to promote better health and assist the shift away from fee-forservice models and toward pay-for-quality models.
Culture Shock Johnson’s tenure as the IOM Anniversary Fellow in Pharmacy will conclude next year, but he knows his work isn’t over. He’ll continue to learn from experts in the field, network with thought leaders and promote the importance of taking advantage of these opportunities to colleagues and students. “Culture trumps strategy every time,” he said. “The culture of our healthcare system, with respect to seats of power, heavily favors nursing and medical physicians, and so it is critical to develop positions and advance pharmacy to be at an equivalent role in the national healthcare culture. This is just one of the ways to do that.” Maureen Thielemans is Communications Manager at AACP and editor of Academic Pharmacy Now; mthielemans@aacp.org
academic Pharmacy now Summer 2013
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