Building partnerships for team-based care models

As collaborative care models form across the health care system to improve access to quality patient care services, opportunities abound for increased pharmacist engagement in team-based care. Successful collaborations rely on the alignment of financial factors and the value each health care provider can bring to the team. When pharmacists are prepared to demonstrate their ability to impact patient care, quality metrics, and other financial markers, they can drive new business partnerships and improve health outcomes for patients.

Pharmacists in community-based settings such as community pharmacy, long-term care, physician offices, ambulatory care, or independent consulting practices can use the resources below to strengthen their approach to potential partnerships. These partners could include physicians; nurse practitioners; or others who practice within physician office practices, clinics, health systems, or other outpatient settings.

Blueprint elements for establishing team-based care models

This resource, which is available only to APhA members, provides a concise, high-level overview of the key elements necessary for building team-based, patient-centered partnerships.

This resource helps you

Articulate your practice model.
Think about the team structure.
Identify champions and decision-makers.

Understand your potential partner’s practice characteristics.
Develop the value proposition.
Determine resource requirements.

Engage key leadership.
Develop the implementation plan.
Implement and improve the partnership.

Learn more

Additional Resources

Successful Integration of Pharmacists in Accountable Care Organizations and Medical Home Models: Case Studies

This APhA resource highlights 10 case examples in which pharmacists are successfully integrated into patient-centered medical homes and/or accountable care organizations in various practice settings.

Informing collaborative relationships between community pharmacists and health care professionals in primary care practices

This JAPhA article describes the attitudes of providers working in primary care practices with on-site pharmacist collaborators to understand how to facilitate similar collaborations with pharmacists in community pharmacy settings.

Team-based Care and Workflow

The American Medical Association’s toolkits offer proven strategies to implement team-based care to save time, redistribute and share responsibilities with your team, and allow you to provide better and more timely care. The Embedding Pharmacists into the Practice module focuses specifically on physician collaboration with pharmacists.

Expanding pharmacists’ roles: Pharmacists’ perspectives on barriers and facilitators to collaborative practice

This JAPhA article explores pharmacists’ perspectives of collaborative practice agreements (CPAs), including barriers and facilitators to CPA implementation.

Creating Community-Clinical Linkages Between Community Pharmacists and Physicians: A Pharmacy Guide

This CDC document describes a framework for creating linkages between community pharmacists and physicians that benefit community collaborators and the patients they serve.

Advancing Team-Based Care Through Collaborative Practice Agreements: A Resource and Implementation Guide for Adding Pharmacists to the Care Team

The purpose of this guide is to empower community pharmacists and collaborating prescribers to initiate CPAs focused on caring for patients with chronic diseases.

Team-Based Care to Improve Blood Pressure Control

Access implementation resources and guidance for using team-based care interventions to improve blood pressure control.

Community Pharmacy Enhanced Services Network Locator (CPESN)

CPESN is a clinically integrated network of 3,500 pharmacies offering enhanced patient care services. This locator can be used to identify local pharmacies participating in this network.

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