Questions & Answers About Partners in D
Click on a question below to read answer.
What is the Partners in D initiative?
Who is developing and executing the program?
Who is funding the program?
What is Medicare Part D?
Why is there a need for Partners in D?
Who benefits from the Partners in D program?
What type of help is offered at a Partners in D community-based event?
Where can someone attend a Partners in D community-based event?
How is Partners in D different from other Medicare Part D educational efforts?
Why are pharmacists qualified to handle Medicare Part D questions?
What type of training do student pharmacists receive as part of Partners in D?
What work has been conducted so far? What else is planned?
How many students have been trained at UCSF? How many seniors have been served?
How can I learn more?
What is the Partners in D initiative?
Partners in D is a California statewide outreach initiative through which student pharmacists help seniors and health professionals navigate the Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage program, commonly known as Medicare Part D. There are three key components to Partners in D:
- Providing advice to individual seniors about their Medicare Part D options.
During community-based outreach programs, student pharmacists help Medicare-eligible seniors evaluate their Medicare Part D options, get the most out of their Part D drug benefits, and advocate for seniors’ prescription drug needs. School of Pharmacy faculty advisors are on hand to assist if needed. These programs take place throughout the year with more programs occurring during open enrollment periods. Student pharmacists also counsel seniors in community pharmacies where seniors come as regular customers. - Training of student pharmacists and other health professional students about Medicare Part D.
Student pharmacists receive intense instruction about Medicare Part D, and they share this knowledge with their medical, nursing, and dental school peers in special classroom presentations. - Ongoing research to evaluate and improve Partners in D activities.
Partners in D is continually assessed through research and improved based upon research results.
Who is developing and executing the program?
The program is a collaboration of the 7 California schools of pharmacy at: the University of California, San Francisco; Loma Linda University; Touro University, California; the University of California, San Diego; the University of the Pacific; the University of Southern California; and Western University of Health Sciences.
Partners in D was originally created by student pharmacists and faculty members at the UCSF School of Pharmacy. The co-principal investigators of the program are Drs. Marilyn Stebbins and Helene Levens Lipton, both faculty members of the School’s Department of Clinical Pharmacy.
Who is funding the program?
Partners in D is funded by a $3.7 million grant from the Amgen Foundation that will support the program for 3.5 years. The Amgen Foundation seeks to advance science education; improve patient access to quality care; and strengthen the communities where Amgen staff members live and work. Since 1991, the Foundation has made more than $85 million in grants to local, regional, and national nonprofit organizations that impact society in inspiring and innovative ways. It has also supported disaster relief efforts both domestically and internationally.
What is Medicare Part D?
Launched in January 2006, Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Coverage, commonly known as Medicare Part D, is the prescription drug program available to those who have Medicare. Part D offers prescription drug coverage to all Medicare beneficiaries who enroll, regardless of income, health status, or prescription drug needs.
Why is there a need for Partners in D?
As the first comprehensive prescription drug benefit ever offered by Medicare, Part D has the potential to improve the lives of millions of elderly and disabled Americans. However, the program is cumbersome, complex, and confusing for a large proportion of the audience for whom it was developed. Many seniors find themselves overwhelmed by the large number of plans from which to choose and frustrated by a lack of resources that address their individual needs and preferences. While Medicare offers telephone and online guidance and enrollment for choosing a drug plan, seniors might not have easy telephone or computer access, and many are not computer savvy. There is an even greater need for individual assistance among low-income and non-English speaking seniors.
Who benefits from the Partners in D program?
The program is targeted to underserved seniors with Medicare, particularly those who have low incomes and limited English proficiency. But, Partners in D benefits all those involved in the program by ultimately improving health education within culturally diverse populations, highlighting the importance of health literacy and inter-professional education.
What type of help is offered at a Partners in D community-based event?
During open enrollment periods, Partners in D student pharmacists help seniors evaluate Medicare drug plans that best fit their needs. Students provide one-on-one counseling to seniors in the seniors’ native languages. Throughout the year, student pharmacists provide the same individual attention to seniors on how to maximize their drug plan benefits.
Where can someone attend a Partners in D community-based event?
Partners in D offers assistance in communities throughout California. Working with local partners, the program notifies residents of these communities when there are events scheduled.
How is Partners in D different from other Medicare Part D educational efforts?
First, Partners in D is led by pharmacists who have unique training and expertise in medication and therapy management and prescription drug plans, as well as drug costs and quality. Second, the program leverages a multi-cultural body of student pharmacists to meet the diverse needs of California. Third, Partners in D focuses its outreach efforts on helping the underserved, who are particularly vulnerable and whose special needs are often overlooked.
Why are pharmacists qualified to handle Medicare Part D questions?
Partners in D recognizes that the pharmacist’s role in the healthcare system extends far beyond dispensing medications. Rather, pharmacists serve as a key bridge between patients and the healthcare system. They are on the front lines of healthcare and see their patients on a regular basis. Because of their access to seniors and their medication expertise, pharmacists can help seniors get the best and most appropriate medications possible under Medicare Part D, while closely considering cost. Because they are integral members of the communities in which they work, pharmacists have the potential to serve the Part D needs of underserved seniors in their communities particularly well and become powerful advocates for their medication needs.
Partners in D prepares student pharmacists to serve seniors most in need and advocate for their health, even before students graduate from pharmacy school.
What type of training do student pharmacists receive as part of Partners in D?
Student pharmacists in the Partners in D program receive extensive education on the many plans that are offered through Part D and training on how to evaluate these plans against patient needs. Through a Medicare Part D course, faculty members teach students about the intricacies of Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage and the more than 70 options available to seniors in California. Once classroom work for this course is competed, student pharmacists counsel underserved seniors about their Part D options. Student Pharmacists also learn how to teach their medical, nursing, and dental school peers about Part D, and they learn how to apply their Part D expertise in community pharmacies.
What work has been conducted so far? What else is planned?
Partners in D began in 2005 as a pilot program at UCSF. The program officially launched in December 2006. In 2007, program founders at UCSF developed a curriculum for healthcare professional training and extended the program to all pharmacy schools in California. Together, they are refining the program and delivering Part D guidance to underserved seniors across California.
How can I learn more?
To learn more about Partners in D, please contact us.
Our student pharmacists have completed focused training in Medicare Part D. Their expertise in helping individuals select the right Part D plan is available to seniors as part of the Partners in D community outreach at no cost.