(1228) Implementation of and Patient Experience with a Test-and-treat Service in a Community Pharmacy

Objectives: This study will evaluate a cash-based point-of-care (POC) test and treat service and has the following objectives: 1) describe the tests administered and total revenue generated by this service, and 2) describe patient satisfaction with the test-and-treat service, including a focus on which items may need improvement. The rationale for this project is that recent state legislation has allowed pharmacists to order and administer point-of-care testing for group A streptococcus pharyngitis infections and influenza, as well as order and dispense prescription treatments for those infections. In addition, recent federal legislation allows pharmacists to order and dispense COVID-19 therapeutics. This evaluation will characterize the feasibility and acceptability of a cash-based test and treat service in a community pharmacy setting.

Methods: This study is a pilot evaluation of a new POC test and treat service at an independent pharmacy in the Midwest U.S.A. The new POC test and treat service will be a cash-based service (not billed to insurance). Patients must schedule an appointment for this service, and the test will be administered by a trained pharmacist or pharmacy technician. Upon positive test results, the pharmacist will then prescribe and dispense appropriate prescription treatment for their infection. If their results are negative, a pharmacist may recommend OTC treatments to alleviate symptoms or refer to an alternate medical provider if indicated. This service will be advertised via Facebook posts, stapling flyers to prescription bags, displaying posters in the pharmacy, sending out mass text messages to all pharmacy patrons, and displaying messages on the digital sign outside the pharmacy. This study will use a cross-sectional survey (paper or electronic) regarding the POC test and treat service. The survey will be sent to patients within one week after their test is administered. Only one survey will be distributed for each household. Surveys will be distributed from October through February. The survey questions will assess patient satisfaction, how they heard about the service, if they would recommend the service to others, convenience of the service, perceived amount of time it takes to get a test compared to traditional means, what they would have done if the service was not available, and demographics. Demographic questions will assess what patient groups most frequently utilize the service. Survey questions will use scaled, multiple choice, and fill in the blank items for demographics, satisfaction, and comments. Surveys will be returned via postage paid return envelopes (for paper) or electronically. Survey data will be entered into an Excel database and analyzed descriptively. Comments will be coded and analyzed descriptively to identify strengths and areas for improvement.

Results: Research in progress.

Conclusions: We anticipate this service will improve patient access to care and provide evidence-based and timely treatment for group A strep, influenza, and COVID-19 infections following a positive POC test. The evaluation data will help the pharmacy improve the quality of this service. This evaluation also has the potential to serve as a demonstration of a cash-based pharmacy service and as an approach for increasing access.