Maximizing medication therapy management services through a referral initiative

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Health Services Research
• Patient Care

Background:

• Medication nonadherence and adverse drug events pose risks for patients post-hospitalization.
• Medication Therapy Management (MTM) services aim to optimize medication use and improve patient outcomes.
• Integrating MTM services into hospital discharge processes can enhance continuity of care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the implementation of an initiative to refer patients for MTM services post-hospital discharge.
• To evaluate the effects of this referral initiative on MTM service utilization and patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

• An integrated health system added a checkbox for MTM appointment referrals to discharge medication order forms.
• Hospitalists were educated on MTM services and encouraged to refer at-risk patients.
• A retrospective case series reviewed MTM encounters pre- and post-initiative implementation, analyzing utilization, revenue, and medication nonadherence rates.

Main Results:

• The study included 313 MTM encounters (142 pre-implementation, 171 post-implementation).
• The percentage of MTM hospital follow-up encounters significantly increased post-initiative (30.28% to 63.74%, p < 0.001).
• MTM encounters post-initiative were more likely to identify medication nonadherence compared to regular office visits (OR, 2.1; p = 0.039).

Conclusions:

• The referral initiative successfully increased the utilization of MTM services for recently discharged patients.
• Patients receiving MTM services post-implementation were more likely to have documented medication nonadherence.
• This initiative demonstrates the value of systematic MTM referrals in identifying and addressing medication-related issues in high-risk patient populations.