Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What is ACT™?
A: ACT™ stands for the Asthma Control Test™. It consists of five questions and provides physicians, pharmacists, and patients a simple tool they can use to assess asthma control. The questions are based on measures of asthma control established by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
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Q: Is my pharmacy eligible to participate in this program?
A: The Asthma Intervention Program is a pilot program open to all pharmacist-owned, non-publicly traded independent retail pharmacies. This includes individually owned independent pharmacies, independent pharmacy franchises, and independent chains.
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Q: How do I register for the Asthma Intervention Program?
A: To participate, a pharmacy must first register for the program. Pharmacy registration is based on the pharmacy's DEA number. Each pharmacy may only be registered once in the Asthma Intervention Program. In addition, for purposes of accessing the MedInterventions tool, each pharmacy may have only one primary contact person associated with that pharmacy. That person must register for Pharmacist e-Link, and he/she also will be asked to create a special username and password for the HIPAA-compliant MedInterventions tool. This second username and password is necessary due to additional privacy regulations established by HIPAA. Additional staff members may register for Pharmacist e-Link in order to read program information but will need to use the primary contact's MedInterventions username and password to gain access to and enter data in the HIPAA-compliant MedInterventions tool.
In order for a pharmacy to qualify for this study, it must be able to enroll a minimum of 15 asthma patients that meet the patient criteria defined below. In addition, the pharmacy must read and accept the Pharmacy Participation Agreement.
Once a pharmacy is registered, it may begin enrolling patients. Below are the qualifications for patient enrollment:
- • Patients must be 18 to 85 years of age.
- • Patients must have a minimum of two asthma prescription fills (any asthma drug) in the past six months at your pharmacy.
- • Patients must have a minimum of one prescription fill (any drug) in the past four months to ensure the patient is a recent user of your pharmacy.
- • Patients with a diagnosis of asthma are eligible to participate.
- • Patients with a diagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are not eligible.
- • Patients must opt-in to this program using the Consent and Enrollment Form.
- • Patients must currently be on a short-acting beta-agonist medication.
Pharmacies are encouraged to review their prescription records to identify patients who qualify for this program. Participation will be limited to the first 500 pharmacies that register.
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Q: What if I own multiple pharmacies?
A: Due to the way the program is structured, a multiple-store owner may not use his/her own information to register multiple pharmacies. If you own multiple pharmacies, you will need to identify one person at each pharmacy to serve as the primary contact at that store. He/she must register for Pharmacist e-Link and the Asthma Intervention Program using his/her own name and e-mail address. He/she also will be required to create a separate username and password for the HIPAA-compliant MedInterventions tool. This second username and password is necessary due to additional privacy regulations established by HIPAA.
In terms of compensation for this program, checks will be made payable and mailed to each registered pharmacy. If you own multiple pharmacies and desire some alternative payment arrangement, you have two main options. If you wish to receive a combined payment for all of the pharmacies you own, you will need to submit all pharmacies under a single tax ID number and return a single W-9 form when requested. A single check will be made payable and mailed to the entity identified on the W-9. If you wish to register each pharmacy under its own tax ID number but wish to have all checks mailed to one location (a corporate office or parent organization), this is also acceptable. For any special payment arrangements, please send us an e-mail at asthmaprogram@mail.pharmacistelink.com with the names and addresses of the pharmacies involved.
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Q: What am I required to do to participate in this program?
A: Participating pharmacists will be asked to identify current patients who meet the eligibility criteria for the study by reviewing their patient database. Once the patients are identified and consent to participating in the program, the following interventions take place:
Intervention #1 - All patients are seen on a face-to-face basis for the initial intervention that includes enrolling the patient, gathering demographic information, and asking the patient to perform an initial Asthma Control Test™. All patients will be given a copy of their ACT™ results. Patients with an ACT™ score of 19 or less should be counseled that their asthma may not be under adequate control. They should be encouraged to make an appointment with their physician to discuss their Asthma Control Test™ score and find out if there is more that can be done to help prevent their asthma symptoms and raise their asthma score. Patients should also be advised to take the Asthma Control Test™ periodically to help track their asthma symptoms and see their physician regularly. Prior six-month asthma medication fill data also will need to be collected from your pharmacy computer. Patients will be assigned to one of five research groups - Groups A through E - based on their ACT™ results and current asthma medication therapy. All of this information will be entered electronically into the MedInterventions online database, which is accessible via Pharmacist e-Link. (Estimated time to complete: 20 minutes)
Intervention #2 - Patients in Groups A through D will participate in a second intervention at 61 to 120 days after the initial intervention. Patients in Group E are not eligible and therefore, pharmacies will not receive compensation for these patients for Intervention #2. This intervention may take place face-to-face or over the telephone and includes another Asthma Control Test™ and seven follow-up questions. Patients receiving an ACT™ score of 19 or less for a second time should be counseled that their asthma still may not be under adequate control. They should be encouraged to make an appointment with their physician to discuss their Asthma Control Test™ score and find out if there is more that can be done to help prevent their asthma symptoms and raise their asthma score. Patients should also be advised to take the Asthma Control Test™ periodically to help track their asthma symptoms and see their physician regularly. Again, all of this information will be entered electronically into the MedInterventions online database, which is accessible via Pharmacist e-Link. (Estimated time to complete: 15 minutes)
Intervention #3 - Final data collection on asthma medication history for the past six months will be required at 180 days following the initial intervention. Patients in Groups A through E are eligible for Intervention #3. No patient contact will be required, and the data will be entered into the MedInterventions online database, which is accessible via Pharmacist e-Link. (Estimated time to complete: 10 minutes)
In addition, if at any point during the interventions a patient indicates he/she has experienced an adverse reaction to a GlaxoSmithKline asthma medication (Advair Diskus® Flovent®, Flovent Rotadisk®, Serevent® MDI, Serevent Diskus®, Ventolin®, or Ventolin® HFA), the pharmacist must report this in the MedInterventions software and instruct the patient to call the GSK Customer Response Center at (888) 825-5249 to report the event.
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Is oral consent allowed for patient enrollment?
Written patient consent must be obtained to protect the pharmacy and the integrity of the program. Please have the patient complete and sign the Patient Consent and Enrollment Form available on this Web site.
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If a patient is obtaining asthma medications from other sources, can the patient qualify for the program?
The pharmacy must be able to document and track objective asthma medication refill history. Patient self-reported prescription data is not acceptable.
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If a patient is using a nebulizer for SABA asthma therapy, can the patient qualify for the program?
Yes, a patient using a nebulizer for SABA asthma therapy will qualify for the program as this is one of the questions on the Asthma Control Test™: "During the past 4 weeks, how often have you used your rescue inhaler or nebulizer medication (such as albuterol)?"
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Are there any medications that disqualify a patient's eligibility for the Asthma Intervention Program?
Patients using Combivent® and/or Spiriva® are not eligible for this study because these medications are indicators of COPD.
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What is actually being faxed to the patient's physician?
A two-page fax is being faxed to the patient's physician at the conclusion of the first intervention. The fax contains a description of the Asthma Control Test™ and an explanation of its scoring, followed by a custom ACT™ report on the physician's patient. View sample physician fax (must be a registered pharmacy).
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Does the pharmacy print out the patient ACT™ results and fax it to the patient's physician?
No, the patient's ACT™ results are automatically faxed from the MedInterventions online tool directly to the patient's physician. It is important to enter the physician fax information correctly into the MedInterventions database. View sample physician fax (must be a registered pharmacy).
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Q: How do I enter data into the MedInterventions software?
A: The first time the pharmacy's primary contact person accesses the MedInterventions tool, he/she will be asked to create a special HIPAA-compliant username and password. This is in addition to his/her Pharmacist e-Link username and password and is required by HIPAA regulations. This username and password will be required for all future access to the MedInterventions tool. If a pharmacy has more than one person entering data, each person must use the primary contact's MedInterventions username and password to gain access to and enter data in the HIPAA-compliant MedInterventions tool. Additional staff members may register for Pharmacist e-Link in order to read program information but will need to use the primary contact's MedInterventions username and password to gain access to and enter data in the HIPAA-compliant MedInterventions tool.
Once you are ready to begin entering data, there are two instruction guides that provide step-by-step instructions on the data entry process. Designed for first-time visitors, the Detailed Data Entry Instructions provide a step-bystep instruction guide for entering patient data into the online MedInterventions database. The Brief Data Entry Instructions provide a quick recall of how to enter patient data in the MedInterventions online tool and can be used as a quick reference tool to look up a specific step in the data entry process.
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Q: Why do I need two separate usernames and passwords?
A: To participate in the Asthma Intervention Program, you must first register for Pharmacist e-Link, which requires a username (your e-mail address) and a password. In order to enter data into the HIPAA-compliant MedInterventions tool, you must have a separate username and password to protect the sensitive patient health information. This additional layer of security is required by HIPAA regulations.
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Q: How do I know when to make the second and third interventions?
A: Pharmacists should login to the MedInterventions application, available through Pharmacist e-Link, on a regular basis to check their Call List for interventions that are due. In addition, pharmacists will receive periodic e-mail reminders indicating they have interventions that are due.
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Q: How much will my pharmacy receive for participating in the program?
A: Compensation is based on the number of interventions pharmacists have completed and submitted online each month. The pharmacies will receive $32 for every patient it enrolls in the program (Intervention #1), $24 per patient for the follow-up intervention (Intervention #2), which includes following up with low-scoring patients, and $16 for the final intervention (Intervention #3), which includes submitting asthma medication fill history information on enrolled patients over a six-month time frame. Note: Some patients will not qualify to participate in Intervention #2.
Here is an easy-to-understand analysis:
- Intervention #1 (20 minutes): $32.00
- Intervention #2 (15 minutes): $24.00
- Intervention #3 (10 minutes): $16.00
- Total Fee Paid to Pharmacy: Up to $72.00/patient
Q: How does the compensation process work?
A: NCPA will process payments four times during the Asthma Intervention Program. Compensation checks will be made payable to each registered pharmacy, not to individual pharmacists. A W-9 form will be required in order to process payments. The W-9 form can be downloaded from this location. W-9 forms must be completed and returned no later than June 1, 2006.
Compensation for interventions submitted online between March 15 and April 30 will be processed and mailed on July 1. Compensation for interventions submitted online from May 1-July 31 will be processed and mailed on Oct. 1. Compensation for interventions submitted online from Aug. 1-Sept. 30 will be processed and mailed on Dec. 1, 2006. Compensation for interventions submitted online on or after Oct. 1 will be processed and mailed on April 1, 2007.
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Q: Who can I call for more information?
A: All program questions may be directed to the Asthma Intervention Program Hotline at (877) 434-0424 Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST. Technical questions, including those regarding specific patient or pharmacist information, may be referred to the MedInterventions Technical Help Desk at (866) MCO-DESK from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. EST.
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Asthma Control Test™ is a trademark of QualityMetric Incorporated.