Definition Focuses on the Key Elements of Medication Management

The Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners (JCPP) Board of Governors has approved a revised and expanded definition and term for the pharmacy profession’s original Medication Therapy Management Services definition1 to better align with contemporary pharmacy practice. The definition is intended to promote better understanding of medication management services and provide consistency in how those services are defined:

Medication Management Services are a spectrum of patient-centered, pharmacist-provided, collaborative services that focus on medication appropriateness, effectiveness, safety, and adherence with the goal of improving health outcomes.
 
The definition uses the broad term, Medication Management Services (MMS), to encompass a variety of terms used for these services. MMS is composed of a spectrum of services that conform to the key elements in the definition. These elements — patient-centered approach to care; assessment of medication use for appropriateness, effectiveness, safety, and adherence, with consideration of accessibility and cost; collaborative approach to care that involves the patient, caregiver(s), pharmacists, and other healthcare providers; and a focus on improving health outcomes — serve as the guide for determining whether a specific service meets the definition, regardless of the term used. Various terms have been codified in federal and state laws and regulations, such as Part D Medication Therapy Management and Comprehensive Medication Management as well as those used in private sector programs, and these terms are likely to remain in use.
 
As this is the pharmacy profession’s definition, the definition cites pharmacists as providers of MMS. It is recognized that the management of medications can include contributions from various members of the healthcare team. Pharmacists deliver MMS using JCPP’s Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process.
 
A working group of representatives from 13 national pharmacy organizations developed the definition for consideration and approval by JCPP. The development process included an examination of existing terms and definitions and their use in traditional and evolving healthcare delivery models, development of a conceptual framework for medication-related services that includes Medication Management Services, and release of a draft definition for feedback during a 30-day public comment period.

1Bluml BM. Definition of medication therapy management: development of profession wide consensus. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2005;45:566-72.