Partnership Aims to Serve Medically Underserved
The University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy is partnering with the Federally Qualified Health Center Urban Health Network (FUHN) to support the expansion of comprehensive medication management (CMM) services across multiple federally qualified health centers (FQHC) in the Twin Cities, and promote community engagement at the College of Pharmacy.
FUHN is a collaborative partnership of eight FQHCs in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, serving almost 60,000 patients across eight clinics in 2020. FUHN clinics serve a medically underserved population, with many coming from disproportionately affected groups, including immigrants and refugees, racial and ethnic minority groups, patients with mental health conditions, and people with lower incomes. FUHN participates in an accountable care organization contract with the state of Minnesota to improve quality of care and address health care disparities.
FUHN’s shared pharmacy service started in 2018 through the University of Minnesota Pharmaceutical Care Leadership Residency program. The practice is focused on population health management and recruits patients who are not meeting clinical quality goals for CMM. Since 2018, FUHN’s shared pharmacy service has expanded to provide CMM in five clinics, with a commitment to expand to all eight clinics. The program expansion is directly related to consistent improvement seen in associated quality metrics (e.g. A1c, blood pressure) and positive feedback from providers and patients.
Clinical pharmacists at FUHN look forward to working with the College of Pharmacy through precepting and teaching opportunities to advance CMM and reduce health care disparities.