Drug Topics - February 25, 2008 - (Page 6)

6 DRUG TOPICS FEBRUARY 25, 2008 www.drugtopics.com Of Interest to Pharmacists Two concurrent events According to Webb and others, the strengthening of the role of clinical pharmacists as caregivers resulted from two concurrent—but not coincidental—historical events. First, health care is moving increasingly into the treatment of chronic diseases as baby boomers age. DT CAPSULE Health plans and PBMs are using R.Ph.s in innovative ways, creating new job opportunities “Effective medication management is the basis for treating chronic diseases. Pharmacists are the best trained professionals for that job,” said Webb. “There is growing recognition that that is a basic reality of modern medical care.” The second important change happened in 2003 when medication therapy management was included as a requirement of Medicare Part D. Armed with data from the Asheville project, professional pharmacist organizations such as ACCP and the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy heavily lobbied Congress for MTM. CMS, as it turned out, created vague requirements for the service. MTM can be provided by a physician, a nurse, or a pharmacist, but the program itself must be what CMS calls “pharmacist-driven,” which essentially means it must be designed and managed by pharmacists. Although vague, the MTM requirement “was a big step, an important step,” said Webb. “It is an important stimulus to acceptance of clinical pharmacists as patient care providers.” “It was very important,” agrees Marissa Schlaifer, Pharm.D., director of pharmacy affairs for AMCP. “Health plans and PBMs are now using clinical pharmacists to manage care. That was our goal, and now, perhaps for the first time, there was recognition by a payer that we can and should do more than dispense.” In addition to MTM programs, several insurers use clinical pharmacists as care providers. Aetna runs a program it calls Health Connections, described as its “medical management platform… covering wellness, incentives, discounts, integrated programs, and a whole host of other medical-related initiatives.” To enhance the value of that program, Aetna hired five clinical pharmacists to help patients manage their medications and “to intervene with physicians whenever they see a specific problem, such as a contraindication. And we expect to expand this effort. As pharmacists gain more training in specific treatment areas, we are looking for more ways to make cost-effective use of that training,” said Edmund Pezalla, M.D., Aetna’s national medical director for pharmacy management. “They bring a specific invaluable skill set,” agrees Thom Stambaugh, R.Ph., chief pharmacist for Cigna Pharmacy Management, the insurer’s PBM subsidiary. For example, Cigna uses pharmacists to develop the software necessary to mine potential medication management problems from claims and lab data. “They understand the data in a unique way. We also have teams of pharmacists who can take the information that software provides and build clinical programs that enhance treatment, building connections with other professionals,” said Stambaugh. All of this marks a beginning, not an end—not even a midpoint—in the professional evolution of clinical pharmacy, said Scott Pope, Pharm.D., a project director with Premier Inc. “We have come a long way,” said Pope. “Things are improving. There’s no doubt of that. But there is still a long way to go. This is just the beginning of a new way to view our profession.” THE AUTHOR is a writer based in Gettysburg, Pa. John Yuscavage, R.Ph. What’s the name of a drug based on the picture clues below? Answer on page 9 http://www.drugtopics.com

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Contents Top 200 OTCs/HBCs in 2007 Clinical Pharmacists Advance into All Areas of Medical Treatment New Products Latest News Roundup

Drug Topics - February 25, 2008

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