Impact of pharmacist-physician collaborative care on hemoglobin A1c and blood pressure quality measure achievement in primary care

BACKGROUND: Multidisciplinary primary care models incorporating pharmacists have emerged to improve glycemic control in patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures establish quality benchmarks for comprehensive diabetes care and guide reimbursement. Large-scale research on the effect of pharmacist interventions to improve these quality measures in primary care remains limited. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a pharmacist-physician collaborative care (PPCC) model on comprehensive diabetes care quality measure achievement compared with standard care (SC). METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included adults aged 18 to 75 years with uncontrolled T2DM receiving care in primary care clinics at a community-based health system in Virginia from July 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019. Patients were in one of 2 groups: (1) the intervention group (PPCC), where embedded pharmacists provided diabetes management under a collaborative practice agreement, and (2) the comparator group receiving SC in clinics without pharmacists. The SC group was created via 1:2 propensity score matching. Generalized linear mixed models assessed the association between group and quality measure achievement. Primary outcomes included glycated hemoglobin (hemoglobin A1c) (≤9%, ≤8%, ≤7%) and blood pressure control (<140/90 mm Hg), per the last recorded value in 2019. RESULTS: The sample (N=1,293) had a mean age of 57 years, was 56% female, and 45% each White and Black. The PPCC group (n=431) was more likely to achieve A1c control compared with the SC group (n=862) (A1c <9%: odds ratio [OR]=3.68, 95% CI=2.31-5.84; A1c <8%: OR=3.53, 95% CI=2.12-5.89; A1c <7%: OR=4.61, 95% CI=2.48-8.56; all P<0.01). Similarly, the PPCC group was more likely to achieve blood pressure control less than 140/90 mm Hg (OR=1.49, 95% CI=1.01-2.22; P=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Patients in the PPCC group were more likely to meet comprehensive diabetes care quality measures compared with SC. These results underscore the value of pharmacists in diabetes management in primary care and their contribution to value-based care.