title: Medication therapy management survey of the prescription drug plans.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the preliminary development and implementation plans for medication therapy management (MTM) services across plan sponsors for the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans (PDPs) and provide pharmacists with insights for MTM development.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  307 individual contacts from Medicare Advantage or stand-alone PDPs.
  
  
  METHODS
  A survey comprising questions about the PDP demographics, plans and implementation, beneficiary eligibility criteria, scope of services, providers of services, and payment structure for MTM services was e-mailed and mailed in November 2005.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive and bivariate analysis of survey items.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 97 usable surveys were completed, a 31.5% response rate. Almost all respondents had a plan in place for MTM services. The majority of PDPs perceived that MTM would have a moderate benefit to their organization. Most PDPs planned to focus efforts on diabetes, heart failure, and other forms of cardiovascular disease. Overwhelmingly, PDPs planned to follow the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) mandate for criteria regarding beneficiary eligibility. Only 8.2% of respondents planned to use a "traditional" pharmacist, such as a community, long-term care, hospital, or clinic pharmacist. The majority of PDPs (53.6%) planned to employ managed care pharmacists to administer MTM services.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pharmacists are eager to implement MTM services and are looking for PDPs to provide a path of implementation and reimbursement. Many PDPs were planning to deliver MTM services internally using health professional staff, thereby limiting the extent of participation of community, long-term care, hospital and health-system, and clinic-based pharmacists. Further research and advocacy are required to ensure that MTM services accomplish the true intent of the congressional and CMS mandates.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Xavier University of Louisiana, Natchitoches, LA 71457, USA. Sboyd1@xula.edu
authors.forename: Steven T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Boyd
authors.forename: Leann C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Boyd
authors.forename: Alan J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Zillich
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000191:economics*; D004608:Eligibility Determination / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007356:Insurance, Pharmaceutical Services / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D006278:Medicare / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration; D010593:Pharmaceutical Services / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010934:Planning Techniques; D011445:Prospective Payment System / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States