ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 167

Care Team Prescription - The Importance of Clinical Pharmacists with Chase Palmer

Chase Palmer is a pharmacist on the board of Alström Syndrome International. In rare disease, we need all the help we can get, and he's motivated and he's jumped right in to share his voice. He’s been dubbed the rare disease pharmacist– and I think it’s going to stick. 

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

Can you introduce yourself and tell us how you became involved in rare disease as a pharmacist?

In 2020 I started working with a nonprofit called Alström Syndrome International. We work with persons living with Alström syndrome, which is a rare genetic disorder that affects almost every cell and organ in the body, starting with blindness and deafness and leading to major organ failure. I was approached by ASI to become a member of the board and began meeting with patients living with rare disorders. I've been trying to learn more and more as time goes on to hopefully treat and cure Alström syndrome and other rare disorders. 

What does it mean to practice as a clinical pharmacist?

A clinical pharmacist is a hospital pharmacist or a pharmacist with a specialty. Some clinical pharmacists work in a specialization like cardio or infectious disease. They work with patients in a hospital, acute care setting or ambulatory care setting to monitor medications and understand side effects and interactions to provide the best quality of life possible.

What approach can pharmacists be in helping to manage the care of kids with rare disease?

For patients taking multiple medications, I think it's important to have a pharmacist on the care team who is monitoring drug interactions to ensure medications aren't negatively affecting organs and making sure they're safe and effective, making things better and not worse. 

Do you have any advice for getting drugs covered by insurance companies?

Insurance can be a major barrier and they may require patients to try alternative medications first. If that happens, make sure the insurance company's preferred medication is going to have the same positive result and not have any interactions with other medications or side effects. Sometimes a doctor can submit a pre-authorization and get medications covered that way. 

Do you recommend that patient advocacy groups connect with pharmacists as board consultants?

I think it's a good idea to have a pharmacist on the board and it can be really progressive and allows for multi-disciplinary care for rare diseases and genetic disorders. A pharmacist can help to manage medications, consult with other advocacy groups and other pharmacists and optimize care. I think they play an important role in moving rare disease forward and meeting the needs of patients.

LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED

Alström Syndrome International

https://www.alstrom.org/

Voices of the People - The Alström Syndrome Journey

https://vimeo.com/770936312

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