Medication therapy management’s three most significant benefits include improved health outcomes, lower costs, and increased patient adherence to prescribed medications. This article will discuss the benefits of medication therapy management for various health conditions. The key benefits are listed below.

Improved health outcomes

Medication therapy management services, or MTM, help patients manage their medications. These services are intended to decrease the number of problems associated with medication use, including nonadherence and adverse effects. Various interventions have been investigated for their effectiveness. Ultimately, several interventions have been identified that improve patient health outcomes.

Using theoretical patient behavior models has proven helpful in designing interventions for patients. To evaluate the efficacy of such models, focus groups were conducted among patients diagnosed with chronic health conditions. Participants’ stories were consistent with the findings from the Common Sense Model (CSM) proposed by Leventhal et al. Furthermore, CSM can be used to improve health care services. Further, CSM-based interventions can provide information to prescribers, pharmacists, and patients to improve care delivery.

A study in 2008 found that pharmacist-provided medication therapy management (mtm) software | DocStation significantly improved intermediate health outcomes in medically underserved patients in FQHCs. In addition, improved health outcomes for patients diagnosed with chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes were associated with higher medication compliance. Thus, pharmacists should pursue sustainable models to include pharmacists in the health care team. However, the authors declare no potential conflicts of interest.

Reduced costs

Medicare Part D prescription drug plans are required by law to offer medication therapy management for beneficiaries with several chronic conditions or high drug expenditures. However, some programs have placed more restrictions on these beneficiaries, leading to missed opportunities to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs. To assess the impact of these restrictions on patient outcomes, Bruce Stuart and colleagues reviewed available data to determine which plans had the highest enrollment rates and were most effective in managing medication therapy.

There is no doubt that the non-adherence of prescription drugs has enormous economic costs. According to the World Health Organization, 50% of patients with chronic illnesses fail to comply with their prescribed medication. Yet chronically ill patients account for approximately 80% of U.S. healthcare spending, and many American patients fail to follow their prescriptions for various reasons. According to a recent IMS Health study, medication non-adherence is directly responsible for an estimated $105 billion in avoidable healthcare costs. In light of this staggering cost, payers must ensure stellar adherence to expensive therapies.

Pharmacist-provided MTM services have been shown to benefit the health care continuum significantly. Montgomery County, for example, plans to expand its MTM services and is committed to lowering health care costs. This is particularly important because the costs of treating Chronic Diseases are estimated to be more than $1 trillion annually in the U.S., making it a significant economic impact on state and national health budgets. Moreover, patients with medication-related problems are more likely to stay healthy, reducing health care spending by avoiding health care services.

Improved adherence to medications

The effectiveness of medication therapy management has been shown to improve adherence to medicines. There is an improved relationship between patient adherence and lowered healthcare costs. In one study, physicians incentivized with a financial incentive reported greater compliance to cardiovascular medications. Another study found increased adherence among patients to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, statins, and angiotensin receptor blockers. The study found that patients with higher adherence to cardiovascular medication had less heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension.

Medication adherence may influence more than treatment. It affects patients’ quality of life, health outcomes, and overall healthcare costs. In the United States alone, nonadherence accounts for 50% of treatment failures, approximately 125,000 deaths, and 25% of hospitalizations. To achieve optimal therapeutic efficacy, at least 80 adherence rates are needed. Current adherence rates are around 50% for chronic medications. Over time, these rates may decline.

A multimodal approach is effective in improving adherence. Research has found that combining telephone calls and text messages improved compliance by nearly half. The study also showed significant improvements in overall commitment, with an adjusted difference between 30-day and 90-day automatic refill programs of 1.4% and 16.1%. The program may improve patient compliance by integrating it into the medication management program.