NMSOAP offers pharmacists opportunity to expand clinical services, build patient relationships

Independent pharmacies are increasingly in need of new ways to improve patient outcomes. With that in mind, The National Medication Safety, Outcomes and Adherence Program^® (NMSOAP^®), created and owned by MediMergent, LLC  improves patient health by collecting near real-time data about medication side effects, adherence and outcomes, while creating stronger relationships among patients, pharmacists and physicians. NMSOAP is a partnership between MediMergent and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. MediMergent has contracted for NMSOAP participation to a number of community pharmacy chains, and independent pharmacies including, among others, Cardinal Health.



Currently there is one research program offered to pharmacists affiliated with Cardinal Health. The program looks at the side effects among patients taking new oral anticoagulant drugs, Eliquis, Pradaxa and Xarelto and its comparator, warfarin.

Drug Store News recently spoke to Jacqueline Gleason, director of Network Strategy & Business Development – MTM Performance & Outcomes at Cardinal Health, to hear about how NMSOAP participation can help pharmacists to improve patient health, while expanding their pharmacies' clinical services offerings.



Drug Store News: What are some of the ways NMSOAP can help participating patients and pharmacists, and how does it work to improve outcomes?



Jacqueline Gleason: The program elevates the opportunity to build the bond between a pharmacist and a patient. Participating patients are identified based on the drug they're taking. They register in the program, sign consent forms and provide permission for the NMSOAP to access their medical records. Patients are prompted to complete a five-minute survey every month when  they come into the pharmacy — they can also do it on their computer or by calling into a call center. That data is then collected and  is available in near real time for the pharmacist to review and understand how the patient is feeling on a drug and side effects from their experience — and it illuminates reasons why the patient may not be adherent.



It’s important for the pharmacist to interact with the patient as it relates to medication adherence and usage because this is a collaborative effort, and can help physicians and pharmacists identify and resolve any problems that are specific to the patient's needs. We can learn how their experience compares with thousands of other patients because NMSOAP is collecting de-identified data and creating  aggregated results that the patient will have access to, as well as the pharmacist and the physician. Overall, it will improve patient safety through the learnings collected.



DSN: Once this data is collected, what can patients do to determine whether their side effects are common or not?

Gleason: NMSOAP is an opportunity for the pharmacist to encourage the patients to take ownership of their own health care and seek the advice and support of their pharmacist. It’s a strong benefit for the patient to have that closer collaborative effort with the physician and pharmacist. Another benefit is to have access to that information. NMSOAP did a lot of focus groups, asking patients what would be of value to them, and they heard loud and clear that patients want to understand how other people are doing on the same medication they're taking.



DSN: Beside fostering these relationships with their patients and understanding better the side effects of these medications, what are some ways that pharmacies and pharmacists can benefit from working with NMSOAP?



Gleason: The pharmacies receive payment for participating in NMSOAP and working with their patients to improve adherence, so there's a new revenue category for pharmacies. If you think about this under the medication therapy management umbrella, NMSOAP is providing the additional support with the patient while giving the pharmacist an opportunity to get paid for their services. In the retail pharmacy space, pharmacists advise many patients and work diligently with them each day. This is an opportunity to be more focused on particular studies — and it's a new revenue stream for pharmacies, which is exciting.



DSN: What have been some of the learnings for pharmacies that have come out of the study?



Gleason: We've found ways to make it easier for the pharmacies to identify patients in their workflow, and we encourage pharmacy technicians to be trained in the surveys so they can assist. Leveraging technicians to provide the survey and elevate any issues, is very valuable from the pharmacy’s perspective.

From a marketing and support perspective, MediMergent created a ‘pharmacy playbook’ to help pharmacists and other pharmacy staff  implement NMSOAP. It includes guidance on how to talk to patients about the program and the steps needed to enroll. Each week we have a one-hour, standing webinar for our customers, and provide an overview for pharmacist that might be newer to the program and address any questions. Our sales team has completed training to support these efforts, too.



MediMergent also created a bag stuffer to be included with patient prescriptions. If a patient doesn’t have time to enroll, or doesn’t fully understand the program at first, the bag stuffer provides additional information for them to review at home and learn more. The pharmacist can then follow-up during the patients’ next visit to answer more questions and help get them enrolled in the program.



DSN: What are some next steps for pharmacies that want to get involved?



Gleason: Pharmacies that are interested can reach out to their pharmacy business consultant to enroll.



The APhA provides a 45-minute online training session for all pharmacists and staff to complete before any NMSOAP participating location can begin enrolling patients. The pharmacy has to be certified to fully understand the process and how to enroll patients. Cardinal Health also provides an onboarding call for pharmacists to join prior to starting the enrollment process with their patients.


This article replaces a previously published version that contained some inaccuracies regarding the origin and development of the program. DSN regrets the error and any confusion it may have caused.