The business model, the level of buy-in from the health care team, the level of patient engagement, and the level of technology all have room for improvement.
Medication therapy management, also referred to as MTM, is required to adhere to the criteria that were outlined in the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003. The Medicare recipients who are qualified to receive MTM services are the ones who are held to these standards. These requirements are laid out in Medicare Part D, which is a subset of the overall Medicare program.1
As a consequence of this, pharmacists have been provided with the opportunity to take on increasingly important cmm services in the care that patients receive. About sixty-five percent of plans reported using community pharmacists for patient care through the utilization of vendor contracts in 2018.2,3However, before MTM services can be successfully integrated into the workflow of community pharmacies, there are obstacles that need to be conquered first.
Conquering the Challenges That Life Has Placed Before You
Community pharmacists provided more medication therapy problem (MTP) recommendations (P.001) but resolved fewer MTPs than those provided by non-community pharmacists (such as MTM vendor in-house pharmacists or Medicare Part D plan pharmacists), according to the findings of one cross-sectional study based on a random sample of Medicare beneficiary enrollment data evaluating 2014 Part D MTM files. The study was conducted using data from Medicare beneficiaries who were enrolled in the Medicare program. This was determined by making a comparison between the number of MTPs solved by community pharmacists and the number of MTPs provided by pharmacists who do not work in the community setting. Following an examination of the information offered in the 2014 Part D MTM files, we arrived at this verdict after conducting research.2. The evidence that is currently available suggests that some of the challenges that must be overcome in order to successfully implement MTM services in a community practice setting include the following: difficulties in the business model; difficulties in incorporating programs within the health care team; difficulties in integrating into the workflow of the pharmacy; a lack of patient engagement; and difficulties in adapting to changes in technological innovation (Fielding et al., 2014). 3. The evidence that is currently available suggests that in order to successfully implement MTM services in a community3.
It is difficult to train personnel, there is an inadequate amount of dedicated physical space available to carry out consultations, and there is a lack of time. There is a challenge involved in the training of personnel. These are the challenges that need to be surmounted in order to integrate MTM services successfully into the workflow of the pharmacy.2,3Due to the high volume of their day-to-day operations, busy chain pharmacies may have difficulty implementing MTM services due to the many responsibilities that pharmacists are expected to fulfill, cmm inspection services including the administration of immunizations and the dispensing of medications, respectively. This is due to the extensive list of responsibilities that pharmacists must fulfill. According to the evidence that is currently at our disposal, one of the most important aspects of MTM services is having access to various forms of technology. This is especially important to keep in mind when conducting a review of one's electronic medical records. In light of the fact that the vast majority of MTM providers rely on web-based software for documentation and billing, the participation of trained pharmacy technicians in this process is an absolute requirement. Another study's findings revealed the challenges that need to be overcome and the strategies that need to be put into action in order to successfully implement a web-based medication management application in community pharmacies.
These findings were uncovered as a result of the study's findings.4Additionally, the findings of the study demonstrated that leadership training, computer literacy training, and clinical training all played a role in making it easier to implement a web-based program into a practice setting. This was demonstrated by the fact that all three types of training were present in all of the participants. This was made clear by the fact that all three varieties of training were incorporated into the instruction that the participants were given.4On the other hand, the unwillingness of staff members and providers to change their practices and share data was considered to be a barrier that stood in the way of the implementation of the technology.4
The patients' apparent lack of interest in receiving MTM services is another barrier that must be overcome.3In addition, the vast majority of patients are under the impression that the only aspect of clinical training that pharmacists receive is the dispensing of a variety of medications.3Patients will reap the benefits if their pharmacists develop a standardized method for providing MTM services and understand their cmm inspection services in the process. Additionally, this will assist pharmacists in better assisting their patients. It is possible for physicians and pharmacists to successfully collaborate on the management of drug therapies in order to improve the quality of patient care and the communication between the two professions. This would be accomplished by working together to manage drug therapies.3After an educational intervention was carried out in community pharmacies, the results of a third study showed that there was a significant increase (P.001) in the proportion of patients who completed the MTM. This finding was demonstrated by the findings of the study.5
According to the findings of a report that was put together by Health2 Resources, more than 600 pharmacist practitioners and program directors who took part in the survey and provided responses expressed their belief that comprehensive medication management (CMM) services make it possible for health care organizations to achieve clinician satisfaction, cost savings, improved outcomes, and patient satisfaction.6
The CMM strategy places an equal amount of emphasis on clinical, patient, and individual goals with the intention of achieving superior health results.6Both Goodrich Pharmacy, which is a privately owned pharmacy with a location in Anoka, Minnesota, and HealthPartners were successful in carrying out the CMM without a single hitch.6Since the year 2006, HealthPartners has been the entity that is liable for paying the costs associated with the provision of CMM services.6The Goodrich Pharmacy had approximately 900 different patients at the time of publication and used CMM with 18 different pharmacists working across 7 different locations.6.