Implementation of hepatitis C screening within a pharmacist-managed medication-assisted therapy opioid use disorder protocol program

Objectives: (1) To describe an innovative medication-assisted therapy (MAT) opioid use disorder (OUD) protocol in an independent community pharmacy, (2) to assess patient retention of the protocol, and (3) to describe the implementation of pharmacist-initiated hepatitis C virus (HCV) screenings of patients enrolled in the protocol. Setting: Independent pharmacy affiliated with a detox and rehabilitation center in Louisville, KY. Practice description: A postgraduate year 1 (PGY-1) pharmacy resident-led OUD and HCV screening protocol. Practice innovation: Under the Kentucky MAT OUD protocol, pharmacists at St. Matthews Community Pharmacy recognized the lack of HCV screening as a protocol requirement. To provide comprehensive care, the pharmacists added an HCV screening assessment for all patients enrolled in the pharmacy MAT OUD program. Evaluation: The pharmacy was the first in Kentucky to implement the MAT OUD protocol after state board approval in January 2018. Patient retention rates of the MAT OUD protocol were evaluated during the 2018-2019 PGY-1 pharmacy residency program. HCV screening was implemented and assessed during this time. Results: The service was implemented by the pharmacy practice resident with 77 patients enrolled in the MAT OUD program and 36 consenting to the HCV screening assessments. More than half (52%) of the study participants remained in the MAT OUD program for the recommended duration of 6 months or more. All study participants (n = 36) had recent HCV screenings. Conclusion: This practice innovation, led through the PGY-1 pharmacy residency program, allowed patients to enroll in a MAT OUD program in the privacy of their community pharmacy. The patient retention rate was similar to those found in physician-provided OUD programs. HCV positive screenings were found in individuals with no previous history of intravenous drug use. This provides reasoning to consider adding HCV screenings as a requirement to OUD protocols. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Pharmacists Association.