Thanks to pharmacists, timkl optimizes the monitoring of diabetic patients.

A healthcare services company, timkl offers diabetics using insulin pumps and closed-loop systems an innovative and unique service in France: monthly support provided by their local pharmacist.

Current regulations require healthcare providers to monitor diabetic individuals—whether using insulin pumps or closed-loop systems—every six months. This service, provided by a nurse, can be conducted at home or at the provider’s office. To optimize care and adherence for diabetic patients, timkl offers a brand-new service: monthly follow-up by the pharmacist.

The principle is simple: for their insulin pump monitoring, the patient chooses their usual pharmacy (the one where they already pick up their insulin). Their pharmacist, previously trained in insulin therapy and pump operation by a timkl expert nurse, can then provide advice and follow-up more regularly than required by regulations. “This monthly visit to the pharmacy saves patients time and gives them greater autonomy in managing their treatment. Patients already visit their pharmacist every month to pick up their insulin. We want this monthly visit to also provide them with an opportunity to talk with the pharmacist and have a discussion. We also want this healthcare professional to provide them with all the advice they might need to manage their diabetes (reminders of best practices, nutritional recommendations, explanations on how to use the equipment needed for treatment, etc.),” emphasizes Philippe Montaner, president of timkl.

A REASSURING SERVICE FOR PATIENTS

For a patient with a chronic illness, such a service is reassuring. The follow-up is always carried out by the same healthcare professional – the local pharmacist – with whom a relationship of trust develops over time. “When follow-up is only every six months, the patient doesn’t always see the same nurse. “Furthermore, most of the time, patients only see their diabetologist once or twice a year on average,” explains Philippe Montaner. Once a month, patients can ask their pharmacist any questions they may have about their diabetes and their health in general. The delivery of their blood glucose monitoring supplies (sensors, test strips, lancets, etc.) and their pump (catheters, reservoirs, etc.) is also secure at the pharmacy, eliminating the risk of lost or damaged packages. If the pharmacist detects a problem (non-adherence, difficulty controlling blood sugar, etc.), they inform the timkl expert nurse, who immediately notifies the diabetologist. The pharmacist can also communicate directly with the doctor about their patient. “However, the timkl nurse acts as a coordinator. They serve as the interface between the patient, the pharmacist, and the diabetologist,” clarifies Philippe Montaner.

PRIORITIZING COLLABORATION AMONG HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS

In addition to their training with the timkl nurse, pharmacists can receive further training at a regional expert center in diabetology (university hospital, general hospital, etc.) to enhance their knowledge of diabetes management. “Collaboration between the diabetologist, the timkl expert nurse, and the pharmacist is essential. We must prioritize complementarity, communication, and information sharing among healthcare professionals. The timkl model is unique because it promotes close pharmacist/patient monitoring. The goal is to enable diabetic patients to live as freely as possible, despite their condition, and to improve their quality of life through close monitoring,” explains Dr. Karim Lachgar, Head of the Diabetology Department at Simone Veil Hospital (Eaubonne). “In my opinion, the nurse/pharmacy partnership and the monthly patient follow-up have an impact on treatment adherence, the patient’s living environment, and ultimately, their well-being,” notes Dr. Lachgar.

100% OF PATIENTS SATISFIED WITH THEIR FOLLOW-UP

Founded in 2019, timkl has already trained 400 pharmacies and is supporting more than 600 patients. In France, 100,000 patients use insulin pumps. “We are still in the early stages of our follow-up program. We want to raise awareness of it among hospital staff and community pharmacists. We conducted a survey of patients using the timkl service: 100% are satisfied and do not wish to switch to another service for their diabetes management,” assures Philippe Montaner. Today, care for patients using insulin pumps is covered by a daily allowance from health insurance. “With this allowance, the healthcare provider must cover all the patient’s needs (equipment, monitoring, patient information, etc.). We share this allowance with the pharmacist to compensate them for the time spent with their patient. We therefore offer added value to the patient without it costing health insurance more,” concludes Philippe Montaner.

Hélia Hakimi-Prévot

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