Early implementation of Pharmacist eCare Plan and electronic health record integration: A proof-of-concept study on health information interoperability

Background

Pharmacy software interoperability is critical to the expansion of access to pharmacist-delivered patient care services. Although electronic health record (EHR) interoperability was considered from the beginning of its use, pharmacy software systems have remained largely on the sidelines of these conversations, and as a result, their current state of interoperability has been limited. Small-scale pilot projects investigating health information technology (HIT) and pharmacy interoperability show promise; however, there is still a paucity of literature on the use and feasibility of HIT in the pharmacy setting.

Objective

This study aimed to report on the implementation and feasibility of HIT interoperability between a medical office and pharmacy in Tennessee using the Health Level Seven (HL7) Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard.

Methods

This is a proof-of-concept study reporting the development and implementation of a data integration intervention to facilitate data sharing between an independent community pharmacy and medical office using implementation science frameworks.

Results

Pharmacist eCare Plan (PeCP)/EHR integration was successfully implemented to facilitate an existing referral pathway for patients from a medical office to an independent pharmacy for transitions of care (TOC) pharmacy services. Thirty-six patients were referred to the service through the PeCP-EHR pathway. Several important facilitators were uncovered during the early phase of implementation, including (1) cocreation of a project charter, (2) leadership engagement, (3) champion identification, (4) adapting the intervention, and (5) establishing a communication strategy.

Conclusion

It is feasible to integrate pharmacy and EHRs using the HL7 FHIR format in an independent pharmacy setting. This study demonstrated that HIT interoperability is possible in the community pharmacy and may aid in the accessibility of pharmacist care services, such as TOC. More research is needed to understand the impact of such data integrations on economic, clinical, and humanistic outcomes.