Cleveland-based University Hospitals is growing a model in which pharmacists are embedded directly into primary care practices.
University Hospitals has 60 pharmacists in the model and is expanding the program every month, Cliff Megerian, MD, CEO of the health system, wrote in an Oct. 16 blog post on LinkedIn. Under the model, patients meet directly with a pharmacist to discuss their prescriptions and financial responsibility after their primary care visit.
Prescriptions are delivered to patients’ homes for free, with the pharmacist following up virtually within several days to ensure proper adherence. When medication costs are an issue, the pharmacy team supports patients with identifying lower-cost alternatives or dosing schedules.
“It’s a simple idea with profound impact,” Dr. Megerian wrote. “Many patients never fill their prescriptions due to cost, lack of transportation, or side effects that lead them to stop taking the medication. Too often, physicians don’t learn about these issues until the next appointment — when the patient’s condition has already worsened.”
The effort is designed to close gaps in care and improve patient outcomes — results that are already materializing, Dr. Megerian said. In 2024, patients with diabetes who met with a pharmacist during their primary care visit had twice the reduction in A1C levels compared to patients who did not meet with the pharmacist.
