Impact of Clinical Pharmacist-Led Collaborative Drug Therapy Management on Hospitalization Rates and Healthcare Costs Among Patients with Heart Failure

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a prevalent chronic condition associated with substantial clinical and economic burdens. Collaborative Drug Therapy Management (CDTM) involving clinical pharmacists has emerged as a promising model to optimize therapeutic outcomes. Objective: To evaluate the effect of pharmacist-led CDTM interventions on hospitalization rates and healthcare utilization among patients with heart failure. Methods: In this prospective cohort study conducted at King Fahad Medical City, 592 adult patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction received pharmacist-directed care between January 2023 and January 2025. Clinical pharmacists optimized pharmacotherapy, monitored labs, and provided patient counseling. Hospitalization and emergency department (ED) visits were recorded over 6 months before and after the intervention. Paired t-tests were used to compare pre- and post-intervention outcomes. Results: A total of 1,392 interventions were performed (mean: 2.4 per patient), with an acceptance rate of 86%. Hospitalizations significantly decreased from 0.79 to 0.24 per patient post-intervention (p = 0.001). Common interventions included medication initiation (29.8%), dose adjustments, and diabetes management. Individualized education was provided to patients with poor adherence (34.5%). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that clinical pharmacist-led collaborative drug therapy management (CDTM) significantly improves heart failure care by reducing hospitalization rates, optimizing medication use, and enhancing adherence to guideline-directed therapy. These improvements were driven by pharmacists’ roles in proactive medication management, adverse event monitoring, and patient education. To expand these benefits, especially in low- and middle-income regions such as the Middle East, systemic barriers—such as regulatory constraints and limited interprofessional collaboration—must be addressed.