Designing an evaluation to support funding and pharmacy model expansion

Gathering credible, defensible evidence through independent and rigorous evaluation was critical to decisions around expansion and continued funding for the model.

Sector:

Public sector

Primary service:

Program evaluation

Client:

Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia (PANS)

Project:

Community Pharmacy Primary Care Clinics (CPPCC)

Pharmacies across Nova Scotia

The situation:

The Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia (PANS), in partnership with the Government of Nova Scotia, piloted a new model for delivering primary care in community pharmacy settings, the Community Pharmacy Primary Care Clinics (CPPCC). This project was intended to support more effective, efficient, and accessible healthcare for all Nova Scotians. Pharmacies across Nova Scotia were selected to operate a CPPCC with pharmacists working to their full scope of practice to provide effective care for patients. Within the pilot project, many new services and strategies were also tested, with potential funding and policy implications for pharmacies and primary care delivery in Nova Scotia. Effective evaluation was essential to provide ongoing evidence to support project implementation and decision-making.

Complexities:

The approach:

RPI worked closely with PANS to design an evaluation framework and implement the evaluation. The evaluation framework included a logic model, key performance indicators, data collection methods and sources, and a detailed implementation plan.

Data collection tools were created, including focus group and interview guides, surveys, databases for clinical and administrative data, and case study criteria and methods.

RPI conducted the following key evaluation activities:

Collected data across 33 participating CPPCC pharmacies across Nova Scotia.
Reported clinical and administrative data regularly to provide ongoing insights to decision makers.
Analyzed qualitative and quantitative data.
Synthesized and integrated findings from all lines of evidence into detailed technical reports and clear and easy to understand reporting for partners and the public.

Key measures included administrative indicators such as number of visits and time required for services, as well as outcomes such as access to care, patient value and satisfaction, clinical improvements for patients, collaboration between healthcare professionals, and value for money for the health system.

The final evaluation report for this pilot project is publicly available.

The impact:

The evaluation directly informed the government’s decision to continue funding for CPPCC and expand the model to additional sites, increasing access to primary care for patients across Nova Scotia. The evaluation findings helped PANS communicate project activities and improvements to government throughout the pilot project. Results from the interim and final evaluations supported PANS in its negotiation with government on a new tariff agreement for pharmacy services and a sustainable funding model for providing primary care in community pharmacy settings.

“RPI consultants have been fantastic to work with. Their work is always conducted on time and in an extremely comprehensive and professional manner. They consistently bring fresh and innovative ideas to help us maximize the quality and utility of our projects.”

Allison Bodnar, CEO, Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia