Evaluation of Pharmacist Interventions in Lipid Management for Secondary Prevention

Second Time's the Charm: Evaluation of Pharmacist Interventions in Lipid Management for Secondary Prevention

The primary objective of this research project is to compare the effect of pharmacist interventions versus usual care in the implementation of guideline directed lipid lowering therapies for secondary prevention.

Studies have shown prevention of cardiovascular adverse events is directly proportional to percent reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL). This evidence explains why LDL targets for secondary prevention have continued to be lowered. Cholesterol guidelines have been updated recently and encourage the use of multiple lipid lowering therapies, in addition to statins, for secondary prevention. However, these novel agents can be expensive and difficult to acquire, making prescribing challenging for providers.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis of coronary artery disease
• low-density lipoprotein (LDL) > 55
• Primary Care Physician at 1 of 6 identified clinics

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients who are no longer an active patient of one of the internal medicine practices
• Patients whose cholesterol is managed by another practice
• Women of childbearing age/potential
• Patients residing in hospice/Long Term Care facilities
• End-stage liver disease