Community Pharmacy Gout Management Service (CPGMS)

The Community Pharmacy Gout Management Service (CPGMS) enables pharmacists to provide serum urate point-of-care testing and dose escalate allopurinol in order to reduce patient's uric acid levels and reduce the risk of further gout attacks.

The service is for people suffering from gout, who have been prescribed allopurinol, and have a current serum urate level outside a specified target range (serum urate level >0.36mmol/L or >0.30mmol/L if patient has tophaceous gout).

This service is provided under a referral from a medical practitioner for a patient prescribed allopurinol and the pharmacist will dose escalate according to a defined Standing Order.

Service objectives

The Community Pharmacy Gout Management Service (CPGMS) aims to:

  • Support patients to better understand and manage their gout medication.
  • Decrease serum urate levels below target (0.36mmol/L) to reduce the risk of further gout attacks.
  • Provide patients with self-management support with the aim of improving adherence to treatment and lifestyle modification.
  • Improve accessibility and convenience for patients.
  • Reduce patient harm and medication-related adverse events through appropriate use of medicine.
  • Improve health-related quality of life.

Funding

Currently the CPGMS is funded by Counties Manukau District Health Board (DHB) and Capital & Coast DHB. The DHB will pay a Gout Services Fee for each patient, as well as a Dispensing Services Fee for each Pharmaceutical that is dispensed for a patient.

If your pharmacy has a high number of patients who suffer from uncontrolled gout, you can discuss this service with your local general practice and if the general practice sees value in this service for their patients, the pharmacy owner or manager can discuss opportunities for a contract to provide this service with their local DHB Portfolio Manager. If funding is not possible, the pharmacy could consider providing this service privately.

Training

Education, Professional Development and Training provide the accreditation training for pharmacists to provide the CPGMS.