Case Study
Sponsored by an educational grant from QuidelOrtho
Transforming Access to Care:
Starting a Test-and-Treat Program in Your Pharmacy
• On average, patients see pharmacists in their pharmacy 33 times a year, but visit their
primary care physicians only three times a year.1
• Pharmacy test-and-treat programs provide access to care and follow protocols to ensure
antibiotic stewardship which helps reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance.
• Establishing the right workflow allows pharmacists to test and treat and improve outcomes.
Duane Jones, BS Pharm, PD
Regional Pharmacy Supervisor
Clinical Program Director
~ Harps Food Stores, Inc.
Residency Site Coordinator
~ UAMS College of Pharmacy
Jennifer Griffin, PharmD, MS
Clinical Pharmacist
~ Pharmacy Division
of Harps Food Stores, Inc.
The challenge: improving patient care
Duane describes gaps in patient care as twofold. “First of all, [we must collaborate] across
professional lines to provide continuity of care. One of the challenges we have in this country
is that over 270,000 people die every year from non-optimized drug therapy.2 That’s not a disease
state. That is incorrect medication, drug-drug interactions, adverse effects, and non-adherence.”
The second challenge is access to care. “There are many, many healthcare deserts in this country—
not just rural, but also in inner cities, simply because there are not enough practitioners for our
aging population.”
Duane is also program director for the MTM The Future Today, an organization which provides
team-based training programs for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Duane believes that
pharmacies can help close the gaps to improve patient care. He cited several different surveys that
indicated that once pharmacists are engaged with patients, their outcomes improve. “Statistics
show that we [pharmacists] see patients 33 times a year on average and the primary care physician
only sees them three.”1 Patient obligation does not end at the point of diagnosis. Duane believes
that pharmacists should be available to teach patients about their medications and therapies,
and test-and-treat in specific sets of circumstances.
Duane Jones has devoted his career to improving patient access to care. A pharmacist since
1977, Duane has owned his own independent pharmacy and understands the challenges faced by
small community businesses. He now serves as the Regional Pharmacy Supervisor, Community
Pharmacy Residency Director and Clinical Programs Director for Harps Food Stores, a chain
of 151 supermarkets across Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Oklahoma.
To fill the healthcare gaps of Harps’ customers, Duane implemented a test-and-treat program,
providing selected evidence-based testing and treatment protocols to patients, and partnering
with local physicians when patients need referrals. Dr. Jennifer Griffin works closely with Duane
as a clinical pharmacist for Harps food stores where she specializes in medical billing, treatment
workflow and marketing clinical services. Together they have found that the Harps test-and-
treat program not only improves multiple patient outcomes but can increase the survival and
sustainability of community and independent pharmacies. Now Duane and his Harps team work
with other organizations to teach pharmacists, technicians and administrators how the Harps
test-and-treat pharmacy workflow can also work at other locations where state laws allow
pharmacists to be considered providers.
The journey toward pharmacy test-and-treat
1. How Community Pharmacies Enable Health Plans
to Measurably Improve Adherence and Quality
Measures. EnlivenHealth. Published October
29, 2020. Accessed May 27, 2025. https://
enlivenhealth.co/blog/power-ofcommunity-
pharmacies-to-improve-adherence-and-quality-
measures/
2. New Analysis Suggests Adverse Drug Events
Are the 3rd Leading Cause of Death in the USA.
Practicalneurology.com. Published March
26, 2025. Accessed June 9, 2025. https://
practicalneurology.com/news/new-analysis-
suggest-adverse-drug-events-are-the-3rd-leading-
cause-of-deathin-the-usa/2473820/
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