Background/Purpose: Existing data demonstrate that clinical pharmacist integration in rheumatology clinics improves provider satisfaction, patient outcomes, medication adherence, and RAPID-3 (Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 3) scores, yet studies have largely focused on tertiary care settings. This study addresses the gap by evaluating pharmacist integration within a private rheumatology clinic and its impact on patient outcomes, provider satisfaction, and pharmacist-led interventions.

Methods: The study received IRB exemption and was conducted from August 1, 2024, to January 31, 2025. Data were collected manually from the clinic’s electronic medical record and analyzed using descriptive statistics. All rheumatology patients referred to the clinical pharmacist during this period were included.Primary outcomes included changes in RAPID-3 scores at baseline, day 28, 3 months, and 6 months, and documentation of pharmacist interventions such as medication reviews, education, access support, and provider decision-making assistance. These interventions occurred during collaborative visits, phone follow-ups, and real-time consults. Secondary outcomes measured provider satisfaction via a post-study survey.

Results: A total of 302 pharmacist-led consults were conducted. Of these, 224 (74%) involved prior authorization (PA) support, 167 (55%) included patient education, and 120 (40%) addressed side effect management. RAPID-3 assessments were completed for 150 patients (50%). Results showed a statistically significant median RAPID-3 score reduction of 2.65 points (p < 0.0001), although this did not meet the 3.5-point threshold for minimal clinically important improvement (MCII). Notably, 68 patients (45.3%) achieved clinically meaningful improvement, indicating that nearly half experienced significant benefit from pharmacist involvement.Provider satisfaction (n=7) was overwhelmingly positive. All respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the pharmacist improved care quality, reduced administrative burden, and supported prior authorization processes. Most strongly agreed that the pharmacist improved medication understanding and was readily accessible. All rated the impact on workflow and prescribing positively, with 71.4% describing it as “very positive.” Open-ended comments highlighted enhanced efficiency, decreased workload, and improved patient care.

Conclusion: Integration of a clinical pharmacist into a private rheumatology clinic had a meaningful clinical and operational impact. The pharmacist contributed significantly to disease monitoring, medication access, patient education, and treatment side effect management. While the average RAPID-3 improvement did not meet the MCII threshold, nearly half of the patients achieved clinically significant benefit. The high provider satisfaction further supports pharmacist integration as a valuable model for improving quality of care and clinic operations in private practice settings. Further research is warranted to explore long-term outcomes and scalability.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/evaluating-the-impact-of-clinical-pharmacist-integration-on-patient-care-outcomes-in-a-private-rheumatology-clinic/