Louisiana Pharmacist Leads the Way for Medication Therapy Management

A bill signed into law by the Louisiana state legislature will soon allow pharmacists to provide medication therapy management (MTM) services to Medicaid patients in the state, according to an announcement issued by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS).

Building on the success of MTM programs offered through Medicare Part D, the bill’s supporters hope it will prepare the state’s Medicaid program for the influx of newly insured Louisiana residents expected as a result health care reform.

District representative Fred H. Mills, Jr. (D, St. Martin), BSPharm, introduced the bill, which became law on June 25. A pharmacist and owner of Mills Cashway Pharmacy in Parks, Lousiana, Mills knows more than most the value of pharmacist-provided MTM services—particularly in areas such as Louisiana, where access to medical care remains an issue for many citizens.

“Louisiana has many medically-depressed areas with many Medicaid patients seeing multiple physicians. This law enables pharmacy to be at the forefront in helping to manage not only patients’ needs, but also to help curtail costs, especially in an environment where health care dollars are so precious,” Mills said.

NACDS thanked Louisiana Governor Piyush Amrit “Bobby” Jindal (D) for signing the legislation, which enables the state Department of Health and Hospitals to create an MTM pharmacy program. In approving the law, Louisiana joins a handful of states--including Mississippi, North Carolina, and Florida--that offer similar services through Medicaid.

For other articles in this issue, see:

• Health Plans to Provide Free Preventive Care
• Study Links Plastics Chemical to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
• Debate Over Mail-Order Prescription Drugs Heats Up