Anticoagulation clinic at the ‘cutting edge’ of a new pharmacy era

Abstract

T he establishment of a pharmacist-run, ambulatory anticoagulation clinic at a US health management centre has been associated with a reduction in hospital admissions among patients who are receiving warfarin [‘Coumadin’] for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. At the annual meeting of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists [ Baltimore, US; June 1998 ], Dr Terry Rubin presented the clinical and economic outcomes associated with the first 6 months’ at the anticoagulation clinic at the Health Management Center of Long Beach Community Medical Center, California, US. The anticoagulation clinic is the first of several disease management services planned for the centre, which aim to impact on the total healthcare of the patient, not just one disease state.