title: Disparity implications of the Medicare medication therapy management eligibility criteria: a literature review.
abstract: The emphasis on eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare has received national attention, with various policy initiatives addressing this problem and proposing solutions. However, in the current economic era requiring tight monetary constraints, emphasis is increasingly being placed on economic efficiency, which often conflicts with the equality doctrine upon which many policies have been framed. The authors' review aims to highlight the disparity implications of one such policy provision - the predominantly utilization-based eligibility criteria for medication therapy management services under Medicare Part D - by identifying studies that have documented racial and ethnic disparities in health status and the use of and spending on prescription medications. Future design and evaluation of various regulations and legislations employing utilization-based eligibility criteria must use caution in order to strike an equity-efficiency balance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy, 881 Madison Ave., Room 212, Memphis, TN 38163, USA.
authors.forename: Kiraat D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Munshi
authors.forename: Ya-Chen T
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.forename: Lawrence M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dagogo-Jack
authors.forename: Jim Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Junling
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006291:Health Policy / Q000191:economics; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000191:economics* / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D054524:Medicare Part D / Q000191:economics*; D054539:Medication Therapy Management / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States