Dr. Kelsey Schmuhl secures DEA registration, advancing pharmacist-led medication management nationally
Last month marked a significant milestone for Kelsey Schmuhl, PharmD '17, BCACP, assistant professor of clinical pharmacy in the Division of Pharmacy Practice and Science and director of Harm Reduction and Prevention Education at The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy, and for the General Internal Medicine Patient-Centered Advocacy and Medicine (PCAM) Clinic.
Dr. Schmuhl obtained her Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration and is now authorized to prescribe controlled substances — a major step forward for pharmacist-led medication management in Ohio and nationally.
Building on the clinic’s existing substance use disorder (SUD) Collaborative Practice Agreement (CPA), this advancement allows her to further expand access to evidence-based treatment, including buprenorphine products such as Suboxone, Sublocade and Brixadi, for patients with opioid use disorder.
With the CPA and this DEA registration, Dr. Schmuhl can serve as the pharmacist provider who manages follow-up visits after the patient’s initial evaluation by a physician. Pharmacists practicing at this level remain rare across the country, with only a handful statewide.
The PCAM Clinic serves as the centerpiece of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s (OSUWMC) ambulatory hub-and-spoke model for primary care–based addiction treatment. PCAM evaluates and stabilizes patients with suspected or confirmed substance use disorders before transitioning them to ongoing care with a primary care physician within the OSUWMC network.
In addition, the GIM PCAM Clinic is now offering a residency rotation, extending its impact by training future clinicians in comprehensive, patient-centered SUD care and expanding the workforce dedicated to this population.
"I hope that pharmacy learners who are interested in caring for patients with SUDs see our model of care and decide to pursue advanced training at Ohio State," Dr. Schmuhl said.