Implementation of a Health Risk Assessment into Workflow of the Appointment-Based Model at an Independent Community Pharmacy

Abstract

Health risk assessments (HRAs) are tools used to collect information on patients’ current health conditions, personal and family medical history, and lifestyle factors that can impact their overall health. The objectives of this pilot project were to implement an HRA as part of the appointment-based model workflow and to assess the resulting pharmacy-patient-care service opportunities. Sixteen HRA questions from a single health plan were incorporated into the appointment-based model workflow at an independent community pharmacy. Questions were administered either telephonically or in person over two patient encounters. Pharmacy staff were trained on how to administer the HRA, what to do if patients needed immediate assistance, how to provide referrals, and how to document of responses. Forty-nine patients were contacted and 38 (77.6%) completed the HRA. The median time for HRA completion was 19 min and the identified opportunities were vaccination (49), smoking cessation (15), diabetes prevention program (14), asthma control assessments (8), and substance use disorder screening and referral (3). This pilot project demonstrates that community pharmacies can implement HRAs and utilize the results to identify new pharmacy-patient-care service opportunities that can contribute to improved patient care and practice sustainability.