By Marycon Young, Vitals contributor
This should get your heart pumping. What began as a small, pharmacist-led pilot at Sutter Health has grown into a full-scale virtual care program helping patients. And a peer-reviewed study in Journal of the American College of Cardiology confirms its impact.
The pilot, conducted with Sutter patients and in collaboration with the University of Southern California, focused on individuals with heart failure, which is a diagnosis made for patients whose hearts are not pumping as well as they should. These patients were identified to benefit from guideline-directed medical therapy. This approach offers a trusted playbook based on solid science and has been shown to help people with similar conditions live longer, feel better and reduce hospitalizations.
“This study highlights how pharmacists can make a meaningful impact through virtual care,” said Christine Chan, a pharmacist and clinical director of pharmacy in the Bay Area for Sutter Health, who also served as the principal investigator of the study. “By partnering closely with patients and care teams, we’re helping people manage complex conditions and stay on track with their health.”
That early success laid the groundwork for what is now the Virtual Pharmacy Ambulatory Care Clinic—Sutter Health’s full-scale virtual program that continues to build on the pilot’s impact.
Read more about the breakthrough study.
