Transitions of Care and Medication Reconciliation: Quality Measures

Presented by Demetra Antimisiaris PharmD

Transitions of Care (TOC) and Medication Reconciliation (Med Rec) go hand-in-hand in potential for quality improvement as well as potential for patient harm. Med Rec and quality measures (QM) targets go hand-in-hand as well. This course will examine the potential impact of comprehensive patient-centered Med Rec on quality measures. We will discuss the impact of approaching TOC Med Rec beyond just getting the medication list right and the potential impact on reaping incentives beyond TOC codes. This course is not an update on billing codes, but is an in-depth look at patient-centered medication use assessment. The target audience is nurses (RNs), advance practice nurses (APRNs), nurse case managers, and nurse care coordinators.

Meet your instructor

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Demetra Antimisiaris PharmD

Demetra Antimisiaris (Dr. Dee) is the director of the University of Louisville’s Frazier Polypharmacy and Medication Management Program. This program is dedicated to education, research, and outreach regarding polypharmacy. In addition to teaching Pharmacology to medical and dental students, Dr. Dee provides a weekly…

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Chapters & learning objectives

1. Overview of Quality Measures and Transitions of Care Incentives, Future Directions.

Medication reconciliation (Med Rec) refers to medication use assessment, and medication use assessment should be patient-centered and comprehensive, more than merely an update of a medication list. In this chapter, upcoming quality measure incentives which directly and indirectly are influenced by the quality of TOC and Med Rec are discussed.

2. Patient-Centered Med Rec and Stakeholder Perspectives

This chapter will examine the challenges from multiple stakeholder perspectives (i.e., time constraints, risky assumptions, stakeholder responsibility) to prepare for analysis of workable solutions. We will discuss the elements of comprehensive medication use assessment and examine the links between excellence in medication reconciliation (medication use assessment) and patient outcomes.

3. Comprehensive Medication Reconciliation, Outcomes, and Quality Measures.

This chapter will discuss ways in which comprehensive Med Rec can be applied to improving outcomes and meeting quality measure metrics. A case example of the importance of the person-centered factors in medication use assessment can significantly impact outcomes. A review of considerations in quality measure reporting and coding modification to meet quality measure targets for healthcare systems will be discussed.

4. Integration of Comprehensive Patient-Centered Medication Reconciliation Into Patient Care

In this chapter, various frameworks to operationalize and implement high quality Med Rec will be discussed. This is a care setting-specific discussion that examines ways to take the seemingly overwhelming task of comprehensive Med Rec and divide the tasks, while involving patients and their caregivers proactively.

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