Did you know that more than one in three American adults has prediabetes with more than eight in ten of these adults totally unaware they have it?1 Even more concerning is that without the proper intervention, many of those with prediabetes will develop diabetes within five years.2 However, there is a silver lining to this public health issue—pharmacists.
Enjoying strong relationships and the trust of their patients, pharmacists have a unique opportunity to make a profound impact on diabetes by focusing their efforts on prevention, and not just on disease management.
Keep reading to learn how Tabula Rasa HealthCare (TRHC) is helping pharmacies connect with prediabetic patients to expand access to critical diabetes prevention programs.
Expanding Access to Prevention
Communicating knowledge is power, which is why the first, and most critical, step in preventing diabetes is to alert patients who have prediabetes about their condition. Next, it is imperative these patients are empowered with the proper educational support that will allow them to make the necessary lifestyle changes that will allow them to stave off diabetes.
Through joining Project IMPACT: Diabetes along with The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Foundation and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Tabula Rasa HealthCare is supporting pharmacists to leverage the relationships they have built with patients—pre and post COVID-19—to reach underserved populations to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes among adults with prediabetes. By allowing providers to tailor the National Diabetes Prevention Program to meet the individual needs of the participants, the curriculum is often completed and successful. However, to be effective, patients must of course be aware of, and educated on, the national prevention program.
This is where TRHC can make a big difference.
With its suite of innovative technology solutions, TRHC enhances the ability of pharmacies to have a substantial impact on diabetes prevention. By utilizing a multimodal combination of face-to-face, telehealth, and digital outreach tools, pharmacy staff are able to leverage their relationships to identify, connect, and engage with at-risk patients—regardless of language and geography—to deliver the CDC recognized lifestyle change program.
SUPD Support with PrescribeWellness
TRHC also offers the PrescribeWellness solution, which provides pharmacies with an effective way to increase adherence, customer loyalty, and performance metrics—particularly for Statin Use in Persons with Diabetes (SUPD). By utilizing the PrescribeWellness Patient Communications tool, pharmacies can send a “Statins Recommended” voice and text campaign, which can be delivered to your patients with just a few clicks and right from the Patient Engagement Center.
Also, the PrescribeWellness safety rings alert your pharmacy staff to potential safety concerns, such as your diabetic patients not taking a statin. In fact, once identified, the solution allows pharmacists to send a fax to the patient’s physician to notify them and offer any medication recommendations – all directly from your PEC.