MTM Advisory Board Updates Definition of Key Pharmacist Service

The Nationa. Medication Therapy Management (MTM) Advisory Board, a group comprised of payor and provider representatives from around the industry, has released its definition of a key pharmacist professional service: the Comprehensive Medication Review (CMR).

“It is our goal as a board not to create a new definition but rather to update and publicize an industry-standard definition,” said Winston Wong, Associate Vice President of Pharmacy Management, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, in a statement. “As increased emphasis is placed on the Comprehensive Medication Review service, we seek to ensure and retain the quality-improvement intent of the CMR. We wish to avoid the CMR becoming a ‘check the box’ obligation. The CMR, if approached by payors and providers as we have defined it, will make the service an effective tool to improve the clinical impact of medication therapy and enhance outcomes.”

The CMR has become a focus of MTM programs in recent years, due in part to Medicare reporting requirements and regulations.

The National MTM Advisory Board’s definition of a Comprehensive Medication Review is:

The Comprehensive Medication Review (CMR) is a systematic process of collecting patient-specific information, assessing medication therapies to identify medication-related problems, developing a prioritized list of medication-related problems, and creating a plan to resolve them with the patient, caregiver and/or prescriber. A CMR is an interactive person-to-person consultation conducted between the patient and/or caregiver and the pharmacist and is designed to improve patients’ knowledge of their prescription, over-the-counter (OTC) medications, herbal therapies and dietary supplements, identify and address problems or concerns that patients may have, and empower patients to self-manage their medications and their health condition(s).

The definition builds upon one put forth in the “Core Elements of an MTM Service”, a model created by the American Pharmacists Association and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation.

Members of the National MTM Advisory Board include:

• Winston Wong, Associate Vice President of Pharmacy Management, CareFirst BCBS
• Sherri Cohmer, Director of Clinical Programs, Humana
• Jerry Shipkin, Vice President Clinical Services, InformedRx
• Sue Leong, Pharmacy and Formulary Director, LA Care Health Plan
• Justin Weiss, Director of Pharmacy, Medica Health Plan
• Twila Johnson, Director of Pharmacy, Security Health Plan
• Gayle Dichter, Director of Pharmacy, Senior Whole Health
• Jonathan Marquess, Owner/Pharmacist, Institute for Wellness
• Wendy Simenson, Owner/Pharmacist, Kemper Drug
• Mark Gregory, Vice President Pharmacy and Government Relations, Kerr Drug
• Anthony Provenzano, Director of Clinical Programs, Supervalu
• Jay Nadas, Director, Retail Clinical Pharmacy Programs, Walgreens
• Joel V. Brill, MD AGAF CHCQM, Chief Medical Officer, Predictive Health, LLC

Formed in 2010, the National MTM Advisory Board meets regularly to discuss and provide direction within the MTM industry. Outcomes Pharmaceutical Health Care provides administrative support to the board.