Development of a medication therapy management superbill for ambulatory care/community pharmacy practice.
OBJECTIVE
To explain the purpose of superbills, suggest strategies for incorporating superbills into pharmacy practice, and propose a model superbill for consideration by practitioners.


METHODS
Ambulatory pharmacies in the United States.


METHODS
Superbills have been used by physicians and other health care providers for many years as a way of efficiently communicating to the office staff, the patient, and even the insurer the types of services that have been provided at the point of care. The profession of pharmacy has not routinely used superbills in the past; however, given the recognition of pharmacists as providers of medication therapy management (MTM) services, immunizations, disease management, and other specialty preventive health services, the time has come for pharmacists to begin using superbills.


METHODS
Not applicable.


RESULTS
A sample superbill, suitable for adaptation by individual providers of medication therapy management and other clinical pharmacy services, is provided in this article.


CONCLUSIONS
Superbills may or may not improve the pharmacist's overall ability to receive insurance remuneration, but the authors believe that greater recognition by patients of the nondispensing activities of pharmacists can be achieved by using a superbill and that this may lead to more opportunities for payment for MTM in the future. Research is needed to assess whether incorporating superbills into a variety of pharmacy practice settings improves patient perceptions of the pharmacist and to discover how superbills effect practice efficiency.
Hogue
Michael D
MD
McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Samford University, Birmingham, AL 35229, USA. mdhogue@samford.edu
McDonough
Randy
R
Bennett
Marialice
M
Bryner
Crystal
C
Thomas
Renee Ahrens
RA
D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000191:economics*; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services / Q000191:economics*; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D005249:Fees and Charges; D054539:Medication Therapy Management / Q000191:economics*; D017059:Models, Econometric; D011216:Practice Management, Medical / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*