Strategies for implementing lipid-lowering therapy: Pharmacy-based approach

A multidisciplinary program was designed to improve patient outcomes after an acute coronary event. The primary objective of the program was that lipi d-lowering therapy be prescribed at the time of discharge for acute myocard ial infarction (AMI) and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PT CA) patients. Secondary objectives for this program were (1) a baseline lip id panel within the first 24 hours of admission and (2) documentation of di scharge counseling for lipid-lowering therapy in the patient medical record . Improvements were reported for all 3 objectives. For the primary indicato r, lipid-lowering therapy prescribed at discharge, the baseline value incre ased from 40% to 72-81%. The percentage of patients with a lipid panel with in 24 hours of admission improved from a baseline of 13% to 38-71%. Overall , 28-77% of patient records contained documentation of lipid-lowering medic ation counseling after initiation of the program. This information should p rovide the necessary benchmarking data to maintain competitiveness in the d ynamic healthcare environment. Overall, this program provides high-quality, cost-effective health care for the patient with established coronary arter y disease. (C) 2000 by Excerpta Medica, Inc.