A University of Florida study examining the factors associated with how much time is needed to complete a comprehensive medication review has received a silver medal at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Annual Meeting. UF researchers at the College of Pharmacy’s Medication Therapy Management Communication and Call Center, which is contracted by WellCare Health Plans Inc. to provide telephonic medication reviews, investigated factors influencing the time it takes a pharmacist to complete a medication review.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, requires all Medicare Part D sponsors to offer a comprehensive medication review to eligible beneficiaries through a medication therapy management, or MTM, program. CMS suggests the average review lasts 40 minutes, but other studies have shown the reviews can take anywhere from 20 to 90 minutes. MTM leaders benefit from knowing the average review time in order to determine the resources needed to provide the required services.
UF researchers analyzed more than 4,100 medication reviews and found many factors can influence the time spent reviewing a patient’s medication. The study found that a patient’s health, where he or she lives and medication-related factors can all impact the time it takes a pharmacist to complete the review. For example, the study found that patients living in the Midwest had a two minute reduction in the medication review time compared to patients living in the South.
The award-winning abstract was published in the April 2016 issue of the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy.