Long-distance medication therapy management aimed at federal employees

摘要

As part of a pilot project started in 2004, Larry Faudskar set out to see whether a telephone-based medication therapy management (MTM) service could be run for clients scattered across the nation.rnFaudskar, area vice president of clinical management for CVS Caremark helped create the test program that initially targeted 1000 members of the Federal Employee Program health plan, run through the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.rnWhile typical MTM efforts are locally based programs relying on personal interactions, Faudskar saw an opportunity to create a long-distance version to reach a far-flung population.rn"Most of this [MTM] concept that was in development was more of a clinic-based, or pharmacy-based, concept in a face-to-face environment," Faudskar explained, "which wasn't practical for this population."rnThe Caremark MTM service, now a full-fledged program operating out of Phoenix, Arizona, provides phone access to a dozen clinical pharmacists on an appointment basis for plan members. The current contract runs through the end of 2010 and will cover up to 10,000 patients.