It's show time: Pharmacists can't put off providing medication therapy management services any longer

The current pharmacy business model of making money from selling drugs "may be on life support," said John Coster, R.Ph., Ph.D., VP of policy and programs, National Association of Chain Drug Stores. "We must look for other ways to sustain the practice, and MTM is the future. It's just that the bottom line is, 'Show me the money.' Pharmacists are highly trained professionals, but right now the model pays them to fill, it doesn't pay them to provide MTM services. That's why it's so important to convince payers-private and public-of the value of these services and to pay for them."

More public and private payers are willing to listen to the MTM story, according to pharmacy leaders. Even as new programs are now being routinely announced, organizations have been working in three areas to build critical infrastructure that will support MTM services: billing codes specific to MTM, quality measures, and a common on-line platform to document and bill for MTM services regardless of the individual program.

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