New Managed Care and Specialty Pharmacy Findings Reported from Duke University School of Medicine (Trends in delivery of comprehensive medication reviews by race and ethnicity, 2013-2021): Drugs and Therapies – Managed Care and Specialty Pharmacy

2025 NOV 17 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Investigators publish new report on Drugs and Therapies - Managed Care and Specialty Pharmacy. According to news reporting out of Durham, North Carolina, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “Comprehensive medication reviews (CMRs) are a cornerstone of medication therapy management (MTM) for millions of Medicare Part D beneficiaries, designed to optimize medication use and health outcomes. However, uptake is inconsistent, with known disparities affecting groups such as Asian, Black, and Hispanic patients.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the Duke University School of Medicine, “To evaluate CMR trends from 2013 to 2021, analyzing changes in provider types, delivery methods, and recipients, with a particular focus on variations across Asian, Black, Hispanic, and White beneficiaries. Employing a serial cross-sectional design, we analyzed Part D MTM program data submitted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from 2013 through 2021, covering all MTM-eligible Medicare beneficiaries. To explore differences based on race and ethnicity, this dataset was linked with a 5% random sample of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate year-over-year trends in CMR provider categories, the methods of service delivery, and the individuals who received the CMR. The volume of completed CMRs expanded more than 4-fold, increasing from 526,150 encounters in 2013 to more than 2 million by 2020, before a slight decrease in 2021. The proportion of CMRs delivered by plan or pharmacy benefit manager pharmacists declined from 40% in 2013 to 29% in 2021, and the share of reviews provided by MTM vendors and other pharmacist categories generally increased over the same period. Telephone consultations, already the primary mode of delivery, increased their share from 86% to 96% of all CMRs, whereas face-to-face services correspondingly decreased from 14% to 4% across all racial groups. The decline in face-to-face services was steepest for Asian (from 18% in 2013 to 7% by 2021) and Hispanic patients (from 18% in 2013 to 3% by 2021). Black individuals consistently had the highest rates of direct beneficiary involvement (88% in 2021) and the lowest caregiver use. The substantial growth in CMR services represents a positive development in patient care.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Nevertheless, the marked shifts toward telephonic delivery and changes in the types of providers and recipients engaged highlight a critical need for ongoing assessment.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Trends in delivery of comprehensive medication reviews by race and ethnicity, 2013-2021. Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy, 2025;31(11):1207-1216. Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy can be contacted at: Acad Managed Care Pharmacy, 100 N Pitt St, 400, Alexandria, VA 22314-3134, USA.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Lauren Wilson, Dept. of Population Health Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC. Additional authors for this research include Devika A. Shenoy, Joel Farley, Lynn DeGuzman, Margie Snyder, Antoinette B. Coe, Lisa E. Hines, Nicole Brandt, Andrea DeVries and Anna Hung.

Publisher contact information for the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy is: Acad Managed Care Pharmacy, 100 N Pitt St, 400, Alexandria, VA 22314-3134, USA.

(Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.)