news in brief
Medication Therapy Management Program Expands at University of Minnesota Based on its success as a pilot at the Duluth campus, eligible University of Minnesota employees and dependents enrolled in the university’s health plan, UPlan, now have access to a new medication therapy management (MTM) benefit. Through face-to-face assessments, UPlan network pharmacists work with eligible members and their physicians or other caregivers to establish and achieve drug therapy treatment goals, avoid or minimize undesirable medication effects and improve clinical outcomes. MTM services are provided at no cost to UPlan members taking four or more UPlan covered prescriptions and overthe-counter medications for chronic conditions. Participating members who meet program requirements are eligible for an $8 per prescription reduction of their copays. Dr. Randall D. Seifert, senior associate dean and professor, initially proposed the MTM pilot as a benefit for Duluth-based employees. With support from Gregory R. Fox, University of Minnesota Duluth vice chancellor, Seifert worked with colleagues to launch the MTM pilot in November 2007. Recently, the university’s Advisory Work Group, led by Dr. Frank Cerra, senior vice president for health sciences, approved the university-wide expansion. “In the Duluth pilot, we have identified an average of three to four drug therapy problems per person served,” explained Seifert. “In addition, the communication with the patients’ physicians has been collaborative and wellreceived.” The concept of MTM has existed since the early 1990s and has been a standard of care in pharmacy curriculums since the mid-’90s, according to Dr. Stephen W. Schondelmeyer, professor and Century Mortar Club endowed chair. “We have
Through face-to-face assessments, University of Minnesota UPlan network pharmacists work with eligible members and their physicians or other caregivers to establish and achieve drug therapy treatment goals, avoid or minimize undesirable medication effects and improve clinical outcomes.
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academic Pharmacy now Oct/Nov/Dec 2009
demonstrated through various studies at the university that MTM does affect healthcare quality and costs. Employers are interested in offering MTM services for employees. We envision that this new network of pharmacists could contract with other employers across Minnesota to offer MTM. Eventually, there is potential to create a national network.” Dr. Sarah M. Westberg, assistant professor and MTM network manager for UPlan, said that positive feedback from the Duluth pilot helped the university make the leap to offer the MTM program to all UPlan members university-wide. Potentially 13,000 out of the approximately 37,000 UPlan members, about one-third of the total enrollees, are likely to qualify for the program. “We know that pharmacists provide MTM help to improve patient outcomes by optimizing medication use,” said Westberg. “We also want to ensure that all eligible UPlan members have access to an MTM pharmacist in a geographically convenient location.“ The expansion is a sign of the growing importance of MTM in the pharmacy profession. “What we’re building is a whole new practice for pharmacists on a global scale,” said Seifert. “It could become the primary part of pharmacy practice in the future, much more than distribution services.”