QS/1 is proud to be a participant in a pilot healthcare initiative that will enhance the role pharmacists play in providing integrated clinical services for patients. The collaboration is being facilitated by Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) to bring together health information technology and pharmacy management providers.
“QS/1 is constantly looking for ways to help improve patient care,” said Ed Vess, R.Ph., president of the South Carolina Pharmacy Association and QS/1 senior manager of Market Analysts. “This program being tested across North Carolina is a unique opportunity to validate the important role pharmacists play in the lives of patients.”
Using the standards adopted in the use of electronic medical records, CCNC will develop a system that allows healthcare providers and pharmacies to tailor a “care plan” for patients that can be updated and shared electronically.
“QS/1 will provide the portal within our pharmacy management systems to allow pharmacists to develop the care plan and then share it with healthcare providers,” Vess added. “This additional documentation will allow all involved to see the progress, or any setbacks, in the patient’s health.”
CCNC will receive the care plans and use the standardized electronic health record-ready data to assess the quality of care and manage payment for enhanced service offerings. The move to an interoperable care plan linking pharmacists with other clinicians will reduce redundant data entry, make care plans more consistent in structure and allow clinical information emanating from community pharmacies to be more easily exchanged with other members of the care team.
The payment for enhanced services is part of a three-year cooperative agreement funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to test new reimbursement models for community pharmacies serving Medicaid, Medicare, and NC Health Choice beneficiaries.
About QS/1
QS/1 offers industry-leading healthcare software solutions to effectively manage independent, chain, hospital outpatient and long-term care pharmacies and HME businesses. QS/1’s complete software solutions are flexible and scalable, making them valuable and affordable for any size pharmacy. QS/1 is the only vendor with an integrated suite of products, including point-of-sale, IVR, document management, mobile refills, delivery apps, built-in prescription synchronization and HME documentation. QS/1 is a division of the J M Smith Corporation, one of the largest privately-held companies in South Carolina. For additional information about QS/1 and the products and services it provides, visit www.qs1.com or call 800.231.7776.
About CCNC
CCNC is the smart choice for physicians, providers, and payers looking for ways to reduce costs and financial risks associated with managing high-cost, complex patients. The CCNC enterprise includes 14 community-based care management networks which serve all 100 North Carolina counties and work for more than 1600 contracted medical homes. CCNC is currently testing ways to integrate community pharmacists into the medical homes system and pioneering new methods of transforming medical practices to pay-for-value forms of provider reimbursement. In 2016, CCNC won the inaugural Hearst Health Award for excellence in improving population health.
