Medication Therapy Management

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In an effort to standardize the provision of medication therapy management (MTM) within Medicare Part D, CMS has outlined specific requirements for Part D Plan MTM programs in 2010.  The APhA’s Medication Therapy Management Digest (March 2010) reviews these requirements.

MTM programs must:

  • Enroll targeted beneficiaries using an opt-out method only (i.e., beneficiaries are automatically enrolled unless they choose not to be)
  • Target beneficiaries for enrollment at least quarterly.
  • Include the following enrollment criteria for targeted beneficiaries:
    • Does not require more than three chronic disease states.
    • Does not require more than eight medications.
    • In defining multiple chronic diseases, sponsors must target at least four of seven core chronic disease states.
    • Likely to incur annual costs of $3,000 for covered Part D drugs (a reduction from the previous requirement of $4,000).

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Recently, the N.Y. Times, ran a story on medication therapy management programs (MTMPs).  These programs typically involve either face-to-face or over-the-phone sessions between pharmacists and patients in retail stores or clinics.  For example, insurance plans pay pharmacists to track patients, monitor cholesterol or blood glucose levels, and prod customers to change their diets or exercise.  The goal is to reduce cost and improve patient outcomes by decreasing the frequency of patients taking contraindicated drugs, improving adherence, and providing a comprehensive medication review (CMR) to evaluate the potential interactions of drugs prescribed by multiple doctors.   Examples of MTMs include the Wisconsin Pharmacy Quality Collaborative (where  community pharmacies and health plans joined together to standardize MTM practices) and Mirixa (a private MTM firm which was founded by the National Community Pharmacists Association).

The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) even has a map summarizing MTM activities by state.

MTMPs have taken off since Medicare plans started covering medication therapy management programs in 2006.   Currently, about one-in-four Part D beneficiaries are eligible for MTMPs.  This CMS Fact Sheet provides an overview of the types of medication therapy management programs (MTMPs) currently in in operation during 2010 for Medicare Part D plans.

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