Hello – I’ll be posting periodically here on the CHAMP Community website on a variety of medication-related topics such as medication safety, medication management and resources available to you and your home care clients. I’ll be sharing with you medication safety materials and resources to assist you in your practice with the seniors you serve. Since this is my first post, here’s a bit of background about me: My professional career began in case management with Los Angeles County social services after graduation from Temple University in Philadelphia. After a number of years with the Department of Mental Health, I returned to school, obtaining a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from University of Southern California School of Pharmacy, and completing a residency there in Psychopharmacy.

In 1985 I was fortunate to become a staff clinical pharmacist with one of the largest home health agencies in the country, the VNC-Los Angeles. Working with the VNA for 12 years was an indelible  experience-the perfect job for a pharmacist with mental health and sociology background. I’ll never forgot my first home visit to a patient-a retired teacher-who was having difficulty with managing her medications. She was one of the few compliant patients I’d met. The only problem was that she’s dumped all of her meds – thyroid meds, anti-depressants, diuretic, digoxin, etc- in one large vial and was following the directions on the label!

Among the many opportunities this position afforded me, the highlights were working with the Hospice/palliative programs, developing an AIDS Psychiatric home care program, becoming a surveyor with The Joint C0mmission Home Health program, and finally, working with Vanderbilt University and VNS-NYC on an evidence-based model for improving medication management program, described at www.homemeds.org. This program was a springboard to a body of home care med management work that has evolved into the Medication Management Improvement System.

Currently I’ve come back full circle to Los Angeles County as a Medication Safety Clinical Pharmacist with Pharmacy Affairs, in the Department of Health Services. When not working, I enjoy being in the garden with our ragdoll cat Fellini or eating my Italian husband’s cooking, especially his homemade bread (for a recipe, click here). My 83 year-old mother still lives independently nearby. Do you remember when this was the exception 15-20 years ago, not the norm as it is today?

I was thinking about home care, and the CHAMP program in particular, while recently attending a terrific national meeting given by The Anticoagulation Forum, a multidisciplinary nonprofit organization of health care professionals committed to improving the quality of care for patients taking antithrombotic medications. One of liveliest topics discussed was patient-self testing(PST) and patient self management(PSM) of warfarin therapy. The take-home message was yes, PST and PSM is an effective alternative treatment model, and that it be implemented where suitable. If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, here’s the link to The Anticoagulation Forum.

I’m wondering how many of your agencies are providing PST and PSM in the home and what your experience are. Let us know about your successes or challenges encountered in this or other aspects of anticoagulation management. Until the next post, Dennee

Dennee Frey, CHAMP Pharmacy Expert