Manage Your Anticoagulant Medications

ProMedica's Jobst Medication Therapy Management (Jobst MTM) through Jobst Vascular Institute offers many clinical services including an anticoagulation service. Our anticoagulation service helps people who take an anticoagulant (blood thinner to prevent blood clots) safely and effectively manage their medication. It has been shown that patients who are monitored by an anticoagulation service receive the most effective treatment to reduce their risk of new blood clots or bleeding.

Why do people take an anticoagulant?

An anticoagulant is prescribed to prevent harmful blood clots from forming or to treat an existing blood clot. Physicians commonly recommend taking an anticoagulant medication for conditions including:

• Atrial fibrillation.
• Blood clotting disorders.
• Deep vein thrombosis.
• Following a heart attack.
• Presence of a mechanical heart valve.
• Leg bypass.
• Pulmonary embolism.
• Valvular heart disease.

What medications are available?

Warfarin is dosed based on your international normalized ratio (INR), which is the number of seconds it takes for your blood to clot.

Other anticoagulants such as Lovenox, Eliquis, and Xarelto can be measured by Anti-Xa levels to determine the amount of drug in the body that blocks the clotting factor Xa.

All of these medications are monitored based on your kidney function, liver function, and other lab results. Overall lifestyle and other medications you take can also affect your anticoagulant medication so we will work closely with you to make sure that you are taking the safest and most effective dose for you.

What help will I get managing my blood thinners?

Our anticoagulation service will:

• Provide careful outpatient monitoring of labs and adjust your anticoagulant medication as needed to make sure you are taking the most safe and effective dose.
• Answer your questions about your anticoagulant medication and provide ongoing education for you and your family.
• Review all of your medications and help as medications are added, adjusted, or stopped to make sure adjustments are made with any identified interactions.
• Explain how diet, over-the-counter medications, and supplements can affect your anticoagulant medication.
• Help when you need to stop and restart an anticoagulant medication for a procedure or surgery.
• Refill your anticoagulant medication prescription and help with affordability options.
• Help resolve any side effects you may be experiencing.

What other services does Jobst Medication Therapy Management (Jobst MTM) offer?

• Diabetes medication management.
• Full medication review.

How do I get started with anticoagulation services?

If you are interested in having our anticoagulation service manage your anticoagulant medication, please have your doctor send our service a referral or call us at 419-291-2010 for more information.