title: Medication therapy management services in community pharmacy: a pilot programme in HIV specialty pharmacies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Pharmacist-provided medication therapy management services (MTMS) have been shown to increase patient's adherence to medications, improve health outcomes and reduce overall medical costs. The purpose of this study was to describe a pilot programme that provided pharmacy-based MTMS for patients with HIV/AIDS in the state of California, USA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pharmacists from the 10 pilot pharmacies were surveyed using an online data collection tool. Information was collected to describe the types of MTMS offered, proportion of patients actively using specific MTMS, pharmacist beliefs regarding effect on patient outcomes and barriers to providing MTMS, ability to offer MTMS without pilot programme funding and specialized pharmacist or staff training.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Each responding pharmacy (7 of 10) varied in the number of HIV/AIDS patients served and prescription volume. All pharmacists had completed HIV/AIDS-related continuing education programmes, and some had other advanced training. The type of MTMS being offered varied at each pharmacy with 'individualized counselling by a pharmacist when overuse or underuse was detected' and 'refill reminders by telephone' being actively used by the largest proportion of patients. Most, but not all, pharmacists cited reimbursement as a barrier to MTMS provision. Pharmacists believed the MTMS they provide resulted in improved satisfaction (patient and provider), medication usage, therapeutics response and patient quality of life.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The type of MTMS offered, and proportion of patients actively using, varied among participating pilot pharmacies.
authors.affiliation: University of California San Diego, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rosenquist
authors.forename: Brookie M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Best
authors.forename: Teresa A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Todd P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Gilmer
authors.forename: Jan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Hirsch
mesh_terms: D002140:California; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D054539:Medication Therapy Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010594:Pharmacies; D010865:Pilot Projects