Objectives: To evaluate the appropriateness of the medication management for anyone who might have been affected by the Horizon New Jersey Health Medicaid Health Maintenance Organization (HNJH Medicaid HMO) formulary update from empagliflozin to ertugliflozin and to then optimize drug selection and monitoring.
Study design: This is a single-center, 2-phase, pilot project led by 2 pharmacy students and the lead clinical pharmacist at a federally qualified health center in Trenton, New Jersey.
Methods: The primary outcome of the study is the number and percentage of patients whose prescription was changed inappropriately from empagliflozin to ertugliflozin. Secondary outcomes include the number and percentage of patients whose prescription was changed inappropriately because of failure to consider cardiovascular history and/or missed renal function checks and whether pharmacists were able to optimize therapy. Data were generated from electronic health record reports and analyzed in Microsoft Excel.
Results: A total of 126 unique patients were identified as receiving empagliflozin and/or ertugliflozin and 16 patients were switched from empagliflozin to ertugliflozin, all of whom had HNJH Medicaid HMO. Thirteen of the 16 (81.3%) patients were managed inappropriately based on their history of cardiovascular disease or inappropriate renal monitoring. Pharmacists recommended 22 interventions for patients who received empagliflozin and/or ertugliflozin, and all recommendations were accepted by providers.
Conclusions: Following the HNJH Medicaid HMO's coverage update from empagliflozin to ertugliflozin, some patients received inappropriate therapy and providers accepted clinical pharmacists' recommendations to optimize therapy.