Alyssa Longenecker
Assessing the Impact of Certified Pharmacy Technicians Role in Behavioral Health Case Management on Short Form Health Survey 12 Scores
Alyssa Longenecker is a PGY1 community-based pharmacy resident with UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and Cape Fear Clinic in Wilmington, NC.
“Nearly 50 million Americans are experiencing a mental illness. Many of these individuals do not have routine follow-up with a mental health provider. Utilizing Certified Pharmacy Technicians to conduct care management calls after a patient is started on a behavioral health medication can greatly impact these patients' quality of life.
The motivation behind this project stemmed from the increasing number of patients initiating behavioral health medications without routine follow-up from their primary care or mental health providers. It was vitally important that these individuals had the follow-up care that they deserved. We decided to utilize personnel that our patients interacted with most, our pharmacy technicians.
I am most excited about the difference that these care management calls are making in our patients' quality of life. I am also excited to see pharmacy technicians used in this unique setting of pharmacy practice.”