The 2020 GoodRx Pharmacy Innovation Scholarship: The 10 Ideas That Will Change Care Team Collaboration

In April, we opened up applications for this year’s Pharmacy Innovation Scholarship to continue supporting students pursuing a career in pharmacy. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have proven that they are not only essential to the care team, but they are also part of the frontline forces working tirelessly to ensure patients receive the care and answers they need.

Inspired by the new telehealth boom and the evolution of healthcare during COVID-19, we asked applicants to present creative ways that new or existing technologies can be used to improve how care team members collaborate and care for their patients. After reading over 200 insightful ideas, we’re excited to announce our 10 scholarship recipients and their plans to change the world of pharmacy!

Jenna Baker

University of Illinois at Chicago: College of Pharmacy, Class of 2021

As a pharmacy technician studying for her PharmD, Jenna believes that the pharmacist is the last line of defense before a patient is sent out on their own with their medications. Pharmacists are drug experts who are readily available to patients during transitions of care, discharge counseling, and post-discharge follow up. As such, Jenna believes more efficient physician-pharmacist collaboration can be achieved if pharmacists are given prescribing rights, especially in the management of chronic conditions for patients on long-term medications. With more authority and agency to make changes to drug regimens with the approval of a supervising physician, pharmacists can help maximize access to patient care.

Lexie Bennet

Drake University: College of Pharmacy, Class of 2025

Lexie wants to use existing videoconference technology to improve collaboration among healthcare workers and streamline prior authorizations by involving insurance companies earlier in the process. Video calls would offer an easy and convenient way for professionals from multiple disciplines to communicate at the same time, and these conversations could be recorded and automatically transcribed into the patient’s records to be accessed later. Better collaboration between pharmacists, prescribers, and insurance companies will provide quicker and better informed care for patients.

Benjamin Cresanti

D’Youville College, Class of 2024

Benjamin sees communication as the key to effective and efficient patient care. A pharmacist is a good checkpoint in patient care, especially when it comes to allergies or other drugs that the patient may also be taking. This is especially useful because pharmacists have top-of-mind knowledge about drug interactions. Communication is better than it used to be between healthcare providers and pharmacists, but continuing improvement is important. Benjamin wants to enhance common interactions between providers and pharmacists, such as prescription transfers, by creating opportunities for more information to be shared so treatment solutions are holistic. This, along with a dedicated phone line between prescribers to specific pharmacists would allow pharmacists to answer dosing questions more quickly, especially during busy pharmacy hours.

Tiffany Dinh

University of California, Berkeley, Class of 2020

Tiffany proposes creating an all-inclusive health portal database for patients that helps them match their insurance coverage and discount cards to available and cost-effective healthcare providers. She believes that having to upload information such as their medical history, insurance coverage, and other personal information will encourage them to become active participants in their own healthcare. Tiffany envisions that the directory will match the patient with a network of doctor’s offices, hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies compatible with their insurance. For patients without insurance, the database will match them with the best discount cards they can use. With access to this portal, prescribers can take into account a patient’s medical history and what medications their insurance will cover when discussing treatment options with them. Pharmacists can also upload information about drug interactions and other guidance to better advise patients without causing delays in treatment.

Hamna Khan

University of Illinois at Chicago: College of Pharmacy, Class of 2023

After speaking with a pediatric oncology nurse, Hamna came up with the idea of oncological telepharmacy, or “teleoncology,” to help bridge some gaps in care made even more obvious by the coronavirus pandemic. Teleoncology services could allow “telepharmacists” to virtually serve patients at their bedside, assess patients’ chemotherapy plans with their convenience and lifestyle in mind, and limit the number of individuals these high-risk patients come into contact with. Telepharmacists could also be involved in treatment discussions with oncology physicians or help nursing staff with any drug- or patient-specific questions via a messaging system. Teleoncology can be a cost-efficient solution for both urban and rural hospitals that may not be able to staff a full-time oncology pharmacist, and also give cancer patients greater access to care without requiring them to travel long distances.

Raluca Laza

University of Michigan: College of Pharmacy, Class of 2023

According to Raluca, a major barrier in medication access arises when a patient receives unexpected sticker shock as they pick up a new prescription at the pharmacy counter. Raluca suggests creating a website where each member of the care team, from doctors, mid-level practitioners, and nurses, can run “trial” insurance claims for medications and medical equipment. This way, providers and patients can make informed and collaborative decisions in the clinic, especially when deciding between comparable therapies which might have different costs on the same insurance plan. This can help mitigate some of the cost concerns that might arise as patients work with providers and insurers at any point during their healthcare journey.

Kennede McLeroy-Charles

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences: College of Pharmacy, Class of 2024

Kennede believes that enhancing currently available medical technology platforms such as MyChart, which is used by her college, the University of Arkansas for Medical Science, can improve patient care and communication within the patient’s healthcare team. She suggests adding a new pharmacy page that would list all the medications a patient is currently taking,  alert the patient when it’s time to take a medication or refill a prescription, and have a feature called “Ask a Pharmacist” so patients can ask for dosage instructions, learn more about common side effects, or request drug changes — all at the patient’s fingertips.

Jasmine Stinson

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center: School of Pharmacy, Class of 2023

Jasmine identifies miscommunication as the leading cause of medical errors. Her idea draws from a common communication strategy used by medical professionals known as “I PASS the BATON” and adapts it for use in a smartphone app. This app could help streamline patient care across different providers and help prevent errors related to miscommunication. Features in the “I PASS the BATON” app for institutions such as hospitals and pharmacies would include patient profiles with chronologically laid out medical histories, prompts for critical entries by providers, and alerts for time-sensitive results or diagnoses. To help improve treatment adherence and patient-provider conversations, a patient-facing version of the app would also be available so patients can access their complete medical history (but written in a way they can understand it).  

Olivia Welter

Drake University: College of Pharmacy, Class of 2021

Olivia believes expanding the scope of state-run prescription monitoring programs (PMPs) and ICD-10 coding can enhance digital communication between members of the healthcare team and provide a higher level of patient care. Currently, PMPs allow providers and pharmacists to collaborate, but this becomes challenging when patients cross state lines. By creating a national PMP, healthcare professionals could have universal access to the same information and streamline the process of dispensing controlled substances — especially in circumstances when insurance can’t be used, which makes usage tracking more difficult. Including ICD-10 coding on each prescription can clue pharmacists in when medications are prescribed for off-label uses, so they can adjust their counselling accordingly without disrupting their usual workflow.

Alexandria Yoby

Ohio State University: Columbus Campus, Class of 2020

According to Alexandria, the key to maximizing patient care is innovating existing technology to help healthcare professionals work as a team rather than individuals. Her idea of a prescription tracker app would allow prescriptions to be tracked throughout every step of the filling process.  The patient would be given a QR code to access all the information of the prescription, including treatment directions and drug interaction information. The prescriber, pharmacist, and insurance company would work together to update the status of the prescription, especially if there is a delay due to a coverage restriction. Alexandria also proposes a dedicated time window in which staff at the pharmacy and the physician’s office can clarify scripts together.

– – –

If you’re an aspiring pharmacist and missed this year’s application, don’t worry! Subscribe to our healthcare professionals newsletter for bi-weekly news from GoodRx, and be among the first to know when we open scholarships for 2021.