New Medicare and Medicaid Findings Reported from University of Maryland (Eligibility For And Enrollment In Medicare Part D Medication Therapy…

New Medicare and Medicaid Findings Reported from University of Maryland (Eligibility For And Enrollment In Medicare Part D Medication Therapy Management Programs Varies By Plan Sponsor)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- New research on Medicare and Medicaid is the subject of a report. According to news reporting from Baltimore, Maryland, by VerticalNews journalists, research stated, "Medicare Part D prescription drug plans must offer medication therapy management to beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions and high drug expenditures. However, plan sponsors have considerable latitude in setting eligibility criteria."

The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from the University of Maryland, "Newly available data indicate that enrollment rates in medication therapy management among stand-alone prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage drug plans averaged only 10 percent in 2012. The enrollment variation across plan sponsors-from less than 0.2 percent to more than 57.0 percent-was associated with the restrictiveness of their eligibility criteria. For example, enrollment was 16.4 percent in plans requiring two chronic conditions versus 9.2 percent in plans requiring three, and 12.7 percent in plans requiring the use of any Part D drug versus 4.4 percent in plans requiring the use of drugs in specific classes. This variation represents inequities in access to medication therapy management across plans and results in missed opportunities for interventions that might improve therapeutic outcomes and reduce spending."

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "The new Part D Enhanced Medication Therapy Management model of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has the potential to significantly increase the impact of medication therapy management by aligning financial incentives with improvements in medication use and encouraging innovation."

For more information on this research see: Eligibility For And Enrollment In Medicare Part D Medication Therapy Management Programs Varies By Plan Sponsor. Health Affairs, 2016;35(9):1572-1580. Health Affairs can be contacted at: Project Hope, 7500 Old Georgetown Rd, Ste 600, Bethesda, MD 20814-6133, USA.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting F.B. Hendrick, University of Maryland, Sch Pharm, Pharmaceut Hlth Serv Res, Baltimore, MD 21201, United States. Additional authors for this research include F.B. Hendrick, X. Shen, M.L. Dai, S.E. Tom, J.S. Dougherty and L.M. Miller.

Keywords for this news article include: Baltimore, Maryland, United States, North and Central America, Medicare and Medicaid, Health Policy, Medicare, Therapy, University of Maryland.

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