Meijer partners with the University of Michigan on hypertension effort
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The University of Michigan Health System has established a new partnership with Meijer pharmacies to provide hypertension management services for adult patients.
U-M patients will be able to visit participating Meijer pharmacy locations to receive a blood pressure check and assessment. If the patient’s blood pressure is elevated, the clinically trained Meijer pharmacist will communicate directly with the patient’s U-M Health System provider. The patient will also receive appropriate follow-up and education about disease, clinical goals, medications and lifestyle.
In addition, documentation of the patient’s visit to their Meijer pharmacy will be recorded in their electronic medical record so the patient can easily discuss the reading and assessment with their U-M Health System provider at their next medical visit.
“This partnership is allowing us to provide our patients with clinical pharmacist services in the community,” said Hae Mi Choe, director and associate dean of pharmacy innovations and partnerships at U-M. “Our patients will have more access to an effective and safe hypertension treatment and monitoring program right in their neighborhood.”
The partnership is available at two participating Meijer locations in Ann Arbor: Meijer at 3825 Carpenter Road and Meijer at 3145 Ann Arbor-Saline Road.
Each participating Meijer location has purchased an automatic blood pressure monitor to provide more accurate readings to patients. The device takes six consecutive blood pressure readings and provides an average of the readings. The devices were purchased based on a recommendation from the U-M Health System Hypertension Quality Improvement Committee. U-M cardiology and chronic kidney disease clinics currently use these machines to ensure accurate blood pressure readings for patients.
U-M Health System patients with elevated blood pressure will be identified at clinic visits and given the option to visit the Meijer pharmacy for their follow-up care. There will also be outreach to patients with elevated blood pressure who live in close proximity to the participating Meijer locations inviting them to visit their local Meijer pharmacy, or return to their physician’s office, for their follow-up care.
“We are excited to partner with the highly regarded University of Michigan Health System,” says Karen Mankowski, vice president of pharmacy operations at Meijer. “This partnership shows the importance of the collaboration between community pharmacists and health care providers. We look forward to offering our clinical services to the residents of Ann Arbor and the surrounding areas through this opportunity.”