ARLINGTON, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores has partnered with the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin to pilot a new practice model based on prescription verification.

NACDS said Wednesday that the model centers on trained, validated pharmacy technicians completing the final check of a prescription filled by another technician, a process known as tech-check-tech (TCT). That will save time for pharmacists, enabling them to provide more direct patient care services — such as immunizations, disease state testing and medication therapy management — and help improve patient health outcomes.

The project is titled “Advancing Community Pharmacy Quality: Leveraging Tech-Check-Tech to Expand Patient Care Services in Community Pharmacies.” NACDS is supporting the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin with the pilot. Researchers from Concordia University also are collaborating in the effort.

“NACDS is pleased to partner with the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin on this project, which utilizes the full potential of pharmacists’ skills and shows great promise for improving patient access to care and health care outcomes,” NACDS president and chief executive officer Steve Anderson said in a statement.  “Pharmacists are well-positioned to meet the growing demand for health care services, and this project provides a proving ground to demonstrate the collaborative role pharmacy is able to play in an evolving health care system.”

The Wisconsin Pharmacy Examining Board approved the pilot at its board meeting on Sept. 22. NACDS said the program is recruiting and preparing pharmacy sites for participation, and the pilot is slated to launch in early 2017, pending Institutional Review Board approval.

Results will be evaluated over a three-year time period in order to guide board adoption of rules in support of advancing patient care, NACDS added.

“The people of Wisconsin will benefit from greater access to patient care services and enhanced patient safety as a result of this pilot,” stated Christopher Decker, executive vice president and CEO of the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin. “The Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin looks forward to partnering with community pharmacies as we implement and advance this exciting patient care initiative.”