I joined AIMM’s A3 Collaborative to expand my knowledge and best prepare me for bringing systematic change to my organization’s ambulatory pharmacy program. The A3 Collaborative offered a solid foundation for learning how to implement processes with quality improvement metrics to measure and communicate outcomes. With an emphasis on integrating Comprehensive Medication Management (CMM) services into care delivery, it guided us on principles to incorporate into our practice as well as the means to elevate the pharmacist’s role within the health care team.
My experience provided me with CMM principles to implement into our organization’s pharmacy program. I applied the knowledge and guidance provided by the AIMM Management Team, to establish bold aim metrics for my team of colleagues. What was important was to engage my colleagues in designing our aims. The interaction and engagement from our group in defining how we would measure our success was so energizing. The definition of our program metrics was as much their idea as mine.
The tools I learned, the networking opportunities, and the support from my AIMM learning coach contributed to the elevation of and receipt of formal support for pharmacists to be embedded in our physician clinics. This was a tremendous win for our pharmacy team!
The most valued experience for our organization’s team in the Collaborative was hands down access to a learning coach. Our coach, Kaity Bader, PharmD, met me exactly where I was, adapted her mentoring to my needs and showed exemplary dedication and optimism. She went above and beyond and I can’t think of another program that would give one such an opportunity.
A hurdle for our organization during the Collaborative cycle was the public health pandemic, COVID-19, which happened midway through our year long learning program. AIMM leaders adapted the learning sessions to include focused education and increased networking opportunities. This greatly assisted in learning how others were modifying their practice in the pandemic, while continuing to advance the bold aims we had started prior to the pandemic.
No matter where you are in your ambulatory pharmacy journey, whether you are looking to expand and evolve or just get your foot in the door, this collaborative experience should be part of your strategic plan. My goal was to learn as much as I could to get the formal organizational support to start, and then there were pharmacists alongside me from other organizations who continue to join the collaborative year after year. There is always room to grow and learn in the collaborative.
Nicole Green
Director of Ambulatory Pharmacy
ThedaCare
At this time, AIMM is committed to designing a new and innovative strategic course that amplifies the scale of our collaborative work, invites more partners to the table, and offers resources and coaching to help to create financially sustainable models that accelerate expansion. Continue to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to learn more.