Medication optimization contributes to the quadruple aim of health care: improving population health, enhancing the patient experience, reducing costs, and improving the worklife of health care clinicians.¹ Indeed, medication optimization is central to ACCP’s vision for pharmacists and the pharmacy profession: “As health care providers responsible for high-quality patient care, pharmacists will be accountable for medication optimization in the prevention and treatment of disease.”² The College has pursued strategies to promote medication optimization, including funding a study of the implementation and effectiveness of comprehensive medication management (CMM) – a holistic, consistent approach to the patient care process that optimizes medication-related outcomes.³

A graphic (below) has been developed to characterize medication optimization as the synergy achieved by establishing optimal medication regimens and ensuring their optimal use. The graphic illustrates the processes by which medication optimization is achieved and its implementation, impact, and dissemination. This “at-a-glance” graphic is intended to serve as an informational piece for ACCP members, interprofessional organizations with which ACCP collaborates, and other audiences. The graphic also shows how medication optimization contributes to the quadruple aim and highlights the importance of the findings of the CMM in Primary Care Study and ACCP’s founding membership in the Get the Medications Right (GTMRx) Institute. Finally, the graphic reflects the College’s support of continued expansion of CMM beyond the primary care setting in order to achieve medication optimization across the entire care continuum.

References

1. Bodenheimer T, Sinsky C. From triple to quadruple aim: care of the patient requires care of the provider. Ann Fam Med 2014;12:573-6.
2. American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP). The Strategic Plan of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. August 2017. Available at www.accp.com/docs/about/ACCP_Strategic_Plan.pdf.
3. American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP). The Patient Care Process for Delivering Comprehensive Medication Management (CMM): Optimizing Medication Use in Patient-Centered, Team-Based Care Settings. July 2018. Available at www.accp.com/CMM_care_process.