Helene Levens Lipton, PhD, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, UCSF School of Pharmacy, Philip R. Lee Institute of Health Policy Studies; Marilyn R. Stebbins, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, UCSF School of Pharmacy

1. Partners in D: Improving Medication
Access for the Underserved
Co-Principal Investigators:
Helene Levens Lipton, PhD Marilyn R. Stebbins, PharmD
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, UCSF School of Pharmacy Department of Clinical Pharmacy, UCSF School of Pharmacy
Philip R. Lee Institute of Health Policy Studies, UCSF School of Medicine
What is Partners in D?
• California statewide research initiative to help underserved Medicare beneficiaries and health
professionals navigate the complex Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit
• Collaborative program bringing the Part D expertise of pharmacists from seven California
schools of pharmacy to seniors, students and practitioners across health care disciplines
• Comprehensive approach to education using four components:
o Curricular reform
o Interprofessional education
o Community outreach
o Primary care teams
• Funding was provided by the Amgen Foundation from 2007-2011; however, all four
components have continued operation beyond the expiration of this initial grant funding
Curricular Reform Interprofessional Education
Challenge: Health professional school curriculum is Challenge: An increasing burden of chronic disease
closely guarded and can be slow to react to new and use of prescription drugs often leads to cost-related
changes in health policy, even when policy will have a nonadherence and health professionals lack training on
significant impact on health professionals, such as the strategies to promote cost-effective prescribing.
passage of the Medicare Part D drug benefit. Solution: Train pharmacy students to deliver clinically
Solution: Train and deploy a new workforce of highly relevant lectures to multidisciplinary healthcare
skilled Part D pharmacist patient advocates by professionals in a variety of settings, including medical
combining core concepts into required pharmacy grand rounds and physician resident seminars.
coursework and offering advanced training in Part D Results:
through an elective open to all pharmacy students.  Since 2008, ≥ 2,500 current and future prescribers
Results: attended a lecture by Partners in D peer educators.
 Since 2007, ≥ 4,000 student pharmacists from seven  The program has expanded to national audiences
California schools of pharmacy received Part D and an additional peer educator lecture was
lectures developed by Partners in D through their developed due to learner demand.
required and/or elective coursework.
“What we learned from pharmacy students today will affect the way I
provide future care… I will try to be more aware and cognizant of what
type of insurance people have and how that might affect their ability to
“Learning about Part D was the most significant thing I did in pharmacy
purchase medication.”
school. It made a personal impact on me… I saw how advocacy can carry
-- UCSF medical student
over into many different settings.”
-- UCSF pharmacy student
Community Outreach Primary Care Teams
Challenge: The Medicare Part D prescription drug Challenge: The inclusion of pharmacists on primary
benefit gives patients an overwhelming number of plans care teams can improve patient outcomes and cost-
to choose from; each with different payment effective medication-related care; however, pharmacists
structure, formularies and design attributes and plans are often underutilized in this capacity.
may change every year.
Solution: Establish pharmacist-directed MTM clinics
Solution: Train pharmacy students to provide efficient within team-based models of primary care to improve
and cost-saving community interventions to reduce the low-income Medicare patients’ access to needed
out-of-pocket prescription drug expenditures of Medicare medications, quality of care, and out-of-pocket health
beneficiaries. plan and drug expenditures.
Success: Success:
 Since 2007, ≥ 2,500 underserved Medicare  In the first year, 11 pharmacist-directed clinics
beneficiaries have received individualized were developed and 571 low-income patients
counseling statewide. were helped.
 Expected out-of-pocket costs were reduced by  72% of these patients achieved out-of-pocket cost
68% for those who elected to change Part D plans. savings (median = $42/month saved).
 Enrolled ≥ 100 Part D beneficiaries into the low-
income subsidy (LIS) program.
“I didn’t know pharmacists would go to this
extent, where they would really work for me and
“I have learned that establishing student-led education programs like this one is not only with me…I feel better now…and I’m happier.”
necessary… but it is also within reach and it can have an immense impact.” -- SFGH clinic patient
-- UCSF pharmacy student
AWARDS AND HONORS: In 2011, Partners in D was awarded the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Student Community Engaged Service Award for 2011-2012. Timothy Cutler,
PharmD, a Co-investigator, was the 2011 recipient of the Albert B. Prescott/Glaxo SmithKline Pharmacy Leadership Award from the American Pharmacists Association. The Partners in D Co-
Principal Investigators, Marilyn Stebbins, PharmD and Helene Lipton, PhD, received the 2010 Jane Boggess Advancement of Pharmacy Practice Award from the Pharmacy Foundation of
California and Dr. Stebbins was named the 2010 Innovative Pharmacist of the Year by the California Pharmacists Association. In 2012 at the National Academy of Managed Care Pharmacists
meeting Meghan Frear, a Partners in D Peer Educator, won 1st place in the National Student Poster Award Section.