Response forms reflect pharmacists' participation in retrospective DUR

This study examined pharmacists' responses to two different Medicaid retrospective therapeutic interventions (excessive use of beta 2-agonist inhalers and long-term use of sedatives) in New Mexico. It also examined the types of actions pharmacists reported taking, and the differences between actions taken by physicians and pharmacists in terms of response rate, tone of responses, and time spent responding to the intervention. The most frequent pharmacist action was to call the physician. Response rates for the drug use review (DUR) program were higher for physicians than for pharmacists; pharmacists also took twice as long as physicians to respond to both interventions. The study results indicate a need for better methods to document clinical services performed by pharmacists under the Medicaid DUR program to obtain reimbursement and justify therapeutic decisions. Pharmacists also need documentation methods that are relatively easy to use so that they can respond more quickly to interventions.