MTMprofile hospital staff that he was on digoxin 0.25 We have the luxury of being able mg and was summarily started on Lanoxin to take time with our patients. I 0.125 mg on top of that. feel like I m really getting to do Because Safe Med operates as part of what I went to pharmacy school Novant Medical Group s Clinical Excellence for, helping patients and talking department, the program s MTM services to them. Cardwell recalled an are included as a benefit rather than someinstance when she spoke with thing requiring individual reimbursement the wife of a Novant Health Safe for its pharmacists. This program conMed patient. We understand [my tributes to the Novant Health mission husband s] stuff; he s doing pretty to improve the health of communities, well, the woman told Cardwell. one person at a time. Cardwell said. The But I have diabetes. Can you upside, she said, is the major clout of help me with that? Cardwell the particular form of MTM associated discovered that the woman had with the Safe Med program. If there are never been on a statin and had issues, we have support from administranever received insulin therapy. Terri Cardwell and Jane Thompson tion and physician leadership to ensure Once she understood the complithat our patients receive the best and safcations that can arise from diabeest care, she explained. Cardwell noted that this support has tes, Cardwell said, the patient s wife wasn t scared of statin been transformational. and insulin therapy. She discussed the best course of action Now in its fifth year, the Safe Med program is extremely well with her physician and her A1C went from 9% to 7%. That was respected. We ve been fortunate to have strong provider supextremely satisfying. port for the program, Cardwell said. By offering hard, concluIn another instance, the Safe Med team discovered that a sive data to prove the efficacy of educating a vulnerable patient patient was incorrectly identified as a physical therapy canpopulation and easing the transition of care from hospital to didate when he was actually supposed to be receiving a prohome, the Safe Med team has struck a definitive blow for pharthrombin time/international normalized ratio blood level. We macy as an essential tool for optimizing health care outcomes got him into the provider s office that morning to be seen, and reducing the financial burden on U.S. health systems. she told Today. Safe Med also uncovers many instances of duplicate medications, such as a patient who neglected to tell Beth Farnstrom Nothing works strong , faster or longer stronger for non-drowsy allergy and nasal congestion relief relie Recommend! Claritin-D relieves: Nasal Congestion Sinus Pressure Itchy, Watery Eyes Runny Nose Sneezing Use as directed. Among Oral 24 hour non-drowsy OTC allergy products. Help Your Patients Live Claritin Clear. *Claritin-D is #1 recommended for adult multisymptom allergy products. Pharmacy Today Annual Over-The-Counter Product Survey, February 2009. Use of the Pharmacy Today #1 Pharmacist Recommended OTC logo does not indicate Pharmacy Today or APhA endorsement of any product or service. 2009 Schering-Plough HealthCare Products, Inc. w ww.pharmacist.com August 2009 Pharmacy Today 31 MTM_Profile_PT.indd 31 7/23/09 2:20 PM