Purpose This report describes the growth and development of the Pharmacy Transitions of Care (PTOC) program at a Florida health system and examines its impact on 30-day readmission rates for Medicare core-measure patients. Summary BayCare Health System is a large not-for-profit community health system with 15 hospitals in central Florida. In 2015, the PTOC program was developed to integrate 2 pharmacists into the transitions-of-care space to reduce readmissions, enhance patient care, and improve medication safety. The PTOC program focuses on traditional Medicare beneficiaries 65 years of age or older with the goal of preventing 30-day readmissions. The service model includes integration of a pharmacist into the discharge medication reconciliation process, as well as postacute care telephonic follow-up. Data and outcomes have been carefully tracked since program inception and consistently demonstrate a reduction in 30-day readmissions, with a 63% relative risk reduction during the beginning phases of the program and a ratio of observed to expected readmissions of 0.77. As a result, in less than 3 years the PTOC program has grown from 2 to 23 pharmacists and is a key component of BayCare Health System’s patient care strategy. Conclusion Medication reconciliation, clinical interventions, and patient education by pharmacists after hospital discharge reduced 30-day readmission rates for Medicare core-measure patients across a large health system. The adaptability of this program to other health systems and hospitals of varying size to achieve similar outcomes is valuable to share with the profession.

Objective: To describe available compensated student internships and provide guidance for new program development. Methods:  A search was conducted using PubMed, MEDLINE, and Google with the following search terms: pharmacy, intern, internship, and student.  All English language publications were considered for inclusion.  Articles describing IPPE or APPE student utilization were excluded. Key findings: Pharmacy student internship programs are common in practice, though there are few with published outcome data.  Most often, interns serve as pharmacist extenders and participate in activities that center around extension of pharmacy services within the institution.  Development of new programs should include partnering with nearby pharmacy programs and state boards of pharmacy to develop a well matched curriculum and allow for interns to practice at the top of their license.  Lastly, outcomes should be measured and disseminated for the benefit of the academy.  Additional considerations for developing a student internship program and guidance are provided. Conclusions: Although in existence for decades, minimal published reports showcase institutional outcomes associated with student internships.  No data is available to show the downstream effect an internship can have on direct patient care activities.   Article Type:  Note