Role and Impact of a Clinical Pharmacy Team at an Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center

Lay Summary Clinical pharmacy teams are able to play an important role with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) care teams to increase the safe, effective, and timely initiation and continuation of advanced IBD therapy. Background There is limited literature describing the role of a clinical pharmacy team within a tertiary academic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) center. The goal of this paper is to describe and showcase the clinical and operational impact of an integrated clinical pharmacy team. Methods This was a retrospective study evaluating the referral outcomes for all patients referred to University of Chicago Medicine Specialty Pharmacy for self-administered advanced IBD therapies covered by prescription insurance from October 1, 2020 to October 31, 2021. Results A total of 1800 referrals were received for advanced IBD therapies. Prior authorizations (PAs) were required and submitted for 1700 referrals. Of those 1700 PA submissions, 297 (17%) were denied by insurance. To overturn the denials, 344 appeals, including second-level appeals and external reviews, were submitted. Manufacturer patient assistance programs were obtained for 69 patients. From the 1800 referrals, 98% of patients were successfully started on the intended therapy. Clinically, there were 2141 pharmacist-initiated interventions by 2 IBD pharmacists. The most common interventions were prevention in interruption of therapy and providing patient education. Conclusions Clinical pharmacy teams are well positioned to streamline care within a tertiary academic IBD center. Their unique skillset and ability to provide high yield medication access supports the use of this model as a best practice in IBD centers.