2026 Eastern States Conference

Title: Evaluating the impact of pharmacy technician-led clinics for prediabetes A1C screening to improve early detection of disease progression
Authors: Ashley Own, PharmD, Catrina Derderian, PharmD, BCACP, DPLA, Tayla Inderlin, PharmD, BCACP
Objective: Audience members will be able to identify key outcomes associated with expanding pharmacy technician-led ambulatory clinics to include annual A1C screening for patients with prediabetes.
Self-Assessment Question: Which of the following is NOT observed as a benefit of pharmacy technician-led clinics in the ambulatory care setting?
Background: This study evaluates whether expanding pharmacy technician-led clinics to include annual A1C screening improves prediabetes screening completion and early identification of diabetes progression.
Methods: This project expanded pharmacy technician-led identification, outreach, and monitoring for adults ≥18 years with prediabetes (most recent A1C 5.7-6.4%) who lacked a documented A1C in the prior 12 months across seven clinic sites. Exclusions included diabetes, pregnancy, hospice/palliative care, or an upcoming PCP visit. Technicians conducted in-person visits including medication reconciliation, blood pressure measurement, and protocol-driven ordering of A1C and lipid panels. A retrospective EMR review was used to assess outcomes from November 2025 to March 2026. The primary outcome is the number of eligible patients completing A1C screening through a pharmacy technician-led visit. Secondary outcomes include: (1) the proportion of patients with A1C ≥6.5% scheduled for PCP follow-up (2) completion of overdue lipid panels, and (3) identification of uncontrolled blood pressure with scheduling for pharmacotherapy follow-up.
Results: Among 215 scheduled patients, 147 attended their initial technician visit, of whom 144 (98%) completed A1C screening. Reasons for non-completion in 3 patients included incomplete post-visit venipuncture or an A1C already completed within the past year. All 3 patients with A1C ≥6.5% were scheduled for PCP follow-up (100%). Of 135 patients with an overdue lipid panel, 134 (99.3%) completed testing. One patient's lipid panel order was placed but remained uncompleted after their visit. Of 19 patients with blood pressure greater than 140/90, 12 (63.2%) were scheduled for pharmacotherapy services. Of the 7 unscheduled patients, reasons included existing PCP appointments, patient preference for PCP follow-up, and declination.
Conclusion: Pharmacy technician-led clinics strengthen population health efforts by improving guideline-concordant prediabetes monitoring and facilitating timely follow-up when diabetes progression is identified. Findings may inform financial impact, staffing needs, scalability to other chronic conditions, and investment in the technician career ladder to support long-term sustainability of this model.