Type 2 diabetes (type 2 DM) is a progressive disease caused by a variety of pathophysiologic defects. However, even with substantial advances in treatment, glycemic control remains elusive, and most patients require combination therapy.  The Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Type 2 Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness (GRADE) study sought to investigate the glucose-lowering efficacy of several diabetes medications in combination with metformin.

Guest Authors:  Katelyn Currier, PharmD and Jennifer Trujillo, PharmD, BCPS, CDCES, BC-ADM

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This episode is a collaboration between the ACCP Ambulatory Care Practice and Research Network (PRN) ... and iForumRx.org.

Population health pharmacists play a critical role in delivering high-quality, cost-effective care to populations at the most risk for adverse outcomes.

Panelists:  Ryan Wargo, PharmD, BCACP; Rochelle Rubin, PharmD, BCPS, CDCES; and Shauntá Chamberlin, PharmD, BCPS

Produced by Jonathan Hughes, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP and Anna Love, PharmD, BCACP

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The Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) guidelines were recently updated with a focus on kidney health in patients with diabetes.  The updated guidelines include recommendations on screening, prevention, and treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD), including the use of SGLT2 inhibitors, finerenone, and ACE inhibitors or ARBs.  The written commentary posted on the iForumRx website provides a succinct summary of the Top Ten Things Every Clinician Should Know.

Guest Authors:  Kara Olstad, PharmD; Gurminder Sanghera, BSc, PharmD; and Darren Grabe, PharmD

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If we’ve learned anything from the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s that delivering healthcare to patients at a distance is possible. Telehealth can help increase access to care for patients in medically underserved communities and for those who have transportation, cost, and time barriers.  But one question has not been adequately answered—is telehealth an effective method to deliver primary care?   

Guest Authors:  Keaton Thomas, PharmD and Haley M. Klassing, PharmD, 

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Several studies have shown the benefits of involving pharmacists in the primary care setting.  And there are some recommendations regarding an appropriate physician-patient panel size per pharmacist.  But what's the ideal ambulatory care pharmacist-patient panel size?

Guest Authors: Benjamin King, PharmD, BCACP, Jubilee Winar, PharmD, and Jasmin Ortiz, PharmD

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There are a variety of non-statin lipid-lowering medications with proven cardiovascular benefits; however, most of the evidence supporting their use has been as an adjunct with a statin. Bempedoic acid offers a novel mechanism of action to treat hypercholesterolemia. But is there a CLEAR role for bempedoic acid in the treatment and prevention of ASCVD in statin-intolerant patients?

Guest Authors: Sarah B. Edwards, PharmD and Briana Williams, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP

Special Guest: Joseph Saseen, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP

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One in five people in the U.S. report suffering from anxiety in the past year, and one in three will experience an anxiety disorder in their lifetime, but 40% of patients go untreated. Perhaps patients are disinterested (or distrust) in traditional pharmacotherapy ... or perhaps it is due to a lack of availability of services (like cognitive behavioral therapy – CBT). Many patients (and clinicians) are interested in exploring and using alternative treatment approaches, but are they effective?

Guest Authors:  Cindy King, PharmD, BCACP and Chris Paxos, PharmD, BCPP, BCPS, BCGP

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*MBSR = Mindfulness-base Stress Reduction

The cost of diabetes in the United States has nearly doubled over the past decade in part due to rising prices and the cost of newer medications used to manage the disease.  With new, improved, but costly alternatives available, it’s going to be challenging for ambulatory care practitioners to evaluate if the potential benefits of using these newer medication classes as first-line therapy (instead of metformin) outweigh their big price tag.

Guest Authors:  Amanda Smith, PharmD and Nicole Slater, PharmD, BCACP

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Several medication classes can be used to treat diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (DPNP); however, many patients have a suboptimal response or experience dose-limiting side effects. Treatment guidelines suggest several first-line options but, in the absence of compelling evidence, offer no direction as to which agent to try first or if we should consider combination therapy.

Guest Authors: Shilpa Klocke, PharmD, BCPS and Nicole Hahn, PharmD, BCACP

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You’ve probably encountered many patients who have experienced muscle symptoms after starting a statin.  Statin-associated muscle symptoms (SAMS) contribute to treatment discontinuation and significantly increase cardiovascular (CV) adverse events and mortality. What strategies do you recommend to increase statin tolerance? 

Guest Author:  Rick Hess, PharmD, CDCES, BCACP

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