ISMP Survey on Community Liaison Programs

Community liaison program: A hospital transition of care solution in which a dedicated health professional(s), typically a pharmacist(s), serves as a liaison between the hospital and post-hospital setting with regards to the patient’s pharmaceutical care plan, education about medications, and follow-up medical appointments. The program’s primary goals include appropriate and safe medication use in the home or other post-hospital setting, prevention of hospital readmissions, improved quality of life for patients, and appropriate allocation of healthcare resources. Community liaison programs can be developed internally utilizing hospital staff (hospital-run), or provided by an external vendor utilizing vendor staff who may work within the hospital and/or outside the hospital (vendor-run).