January 26, 2012—Apexus, the organization that runs the 340B Prime Vendor Program (PVP), is giving a quarter-million-dollar challenge grant to a nonprofit foundation created in 2010 to raise funds for the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Patient Safety and Clinical Pharmacy Services Collaborative (PSPC).
Launched in 2008, PSPC is made up of more than 120 teams of pharmacists and other health professionals across the country working together to reduce medical errors and improve outcomes through better selection and use of medications. During PSPC’s initial years, the teams focused on small groups of high-risk, high-cost patients. Beginning last year and continuing into 2012, teams have been applying what they learned to larger patient groups.
[ms-protect-content id=”2799″]William Ellis, the president of the fundraising group PSPC Alliance, said the $250,000 grant “provides us with a great opportunity to engage new partners who share our commitment to increased patient safety and improved health outcomes through the integration of clinical pharmacy services into a primary health home.” The alliance was created two years ago to promote PSCP’s work and keep it going beyond its originally planned 18-month lifespan. It was founded by American Association of College Pharmacists, the American Nurses Association, the American Pharmacists Association, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and Apexus.
“The alliance is a natural partner for us because of their focus on the integration of quality clinical pharmacy services into a patient-centered health care,” said Apexus Vice President Christopher Hatwig. “Our board believes in the mission of the alliance and we challenge other health care organizations to join us in our support.”[/ms-protect-content]