The health care industry is perpetually researching new innovations and processes to improve patient care and outcomes. Through a multi-year collaboration, the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Minnesota and the Alliance for Integrated Medication Management developed a new process and tools to integrate pharmacists into clinics and improve medication optimization. This project was possible through the generous support of the Eshelman Institute for Innovation. To deploy the system more broadly, they came to Rivers Agency to take their pen-and-paper solution into the digital age.
The organizations were seeking to digitize their research and projects and create a seamless experience for users, both in look and feel through branding and with functionality between the different tools. Discovery sessions informed Rivers’ recommendations for presenting the groups’ research in a way that users could actively participate in as they learn about the process, as well as translating the paper version into a seamless user flow for digital users.
With a two-fold goal of raising awareness of the need for safe, effective and appropriate use of medications, and to provide clinicians the tools and resources to effectively optimize their patients’ medications in a comprehensive, patient-centered and team-based manner,
Rivers designed and built the Optimizing Medications website and the Comprehensive Medication Management Implementation System, a blueprint for the implementation and improvement of CMM in a clinic-based setting that can be accessed via the site.
The new website and interactive tools provide a wealth of resources, including information on medication optimization, comprehensive medication management and a medication therapy problem documentation tool. Practitioners also can find information on the latest policy news affecting the industry, connect with others to share best practices and access a resource library.
Throughout the site, Rivers designed custom iconography and illustrations to help guide users to the information and tools they need. The site’s backend was built in a modular fashion, with custom modules to enable the research team to easily upload content.
“Rivers helped us translate our research findings on the implementation of pharmacist-driven CMM services into easy-to-follow steps, and then brought the process to life in an intuitive and inviting interface,” said Lori Armistead, PharmD, from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. “By providing easier access to the tools we’ve developed, information on CMM best practices and connection to a variety of medication management resources, we expect this interactive platform will make a difference in patient outcomes and help reduce health care costs.”
Rivers Agency is the premier web design and development firm for Raleigh, NC, Chapel Hill, NC, Durham, NC and Carrboro, NC.