The Health Care Bill, signed into law by the president on Tuesday, includes several pharmacy-related provisions. CPNP worked as part of the Health Care Reform Pharmacy Stakeholders Group with other major pharmacy organizations to support the medication therapy management (MTM) provisions contained in the bill.
Although it will take some time before the full impact of the bill is understood, several provisions could have a significant impact on pharmacist-provided MTM for our patients.
These include provisions that:
- grants or contracts be made available to eligible entities to implement medication management services provided by licensed pharmacists, as a collaborative, multidisciplinary, interprofessional approach to the treatment of chronic diseases.
- MTM services provided by licensed pharmacists under a grant or contract awarded shall be offered to targeted individuals who take 4 or more prescribed medications (including over the-counter medications and dietary supplements), take any ‘high risk’ medications, have 2 or more chronic diseases, or have undergone a transition of care, or other factors that are likely to create a high risk of medication-related problems.
- medical homes provide access to pharmacist-delivered medication management services, including medication reconciliation
- Medicare Part D MTM programs are improved to include an annual comprehensive medication review, furnished person-to-person or using telehealth technologies, which will result in the creation of a medication action plan for the provider and the patient.
This greatly expands the ability of pharmacists to provide these much needed services to our patients who will benefit from improved outcomes and fewer medication misadventures.
