Benzer Pharmacy Helping Physicians in Providing Clinical Services

Benzer Pharmacy announced that it is helping physicians in providing clinical services to improve patient outcomes and generate more revenue for physician offices.

These clinical services include chronic care management for patients with chronic conditions; transitional care management for patients being discharged from a hospital; intensive behavior therapy for weight management counseling, among others.

Typically, the physician’s office gets reimbursed by insurances for these clinical services, sometimes up to $200 per service.

CMS (the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services), developed Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), to provide alternative payment models (APMs) that include clinical services on top of the services that physicians already provide to their patients.

“If the physician’s office is participating in providing these services, CMS will provide an incentive payment of 5% (this is in addition to the payment received for the services). If the physician’s office does not participate, the practice will incur a penalty in the form of a negative 4% payment adjustment,” states Lindsay Wall, Benzer Pharmacy Chief Clinical Officer.

These payment adjustments will increase over the years and are projected to be +/- 9% by the year 2022. “Getting involved now will generate profit in the short-term while ensuring maximum incentives in the long run.” She adds.

Benzer Pharmacy can help.

If the physician’s office does not have the time or is unwilling to perform these clinical services for any reason, Benzer’s pharmacists can help.

Once the doctor signs a Collaborative Practice Agreement, Benzer’s pharmacists can start providing these services right away.

Collaborative Practice Agreements allow the pharmacist to take care of the patient in ways that are outlined specifically in the agreement, such as ordering lab tests, providing education, and making suggestions on medication therapy.

“No other retail pharmacies in the area are providing these types of collaborative services, making Benzer Pharmacy a pioneer in clinical innovation and pharmacy practice advancement.” Lindsay adds.

The pharmacist will never initiate, modify, or discontinue any therapy without the physician’s approval. “This allows for building trust and collaboration within the healthcare teams caring for common patients.” Lindsay concludes.