MTM Conference Prepares Experts for Medicare Part D

A collaborative effort between theNational Association of Chain DrugStores (NACDS) Foundation and theAmerican Pharmacists Association hasproven successful. The organizationshosted a conference to help the healthcare industry prepare for medicationtherapy management (MTM) and thecoming changes of the Medicare PartD drug benefit program. Conferenceattendees included chain pharmacyleaders, educators, federal policymakers,and health care experts.

The theme of the conference, MedicationManagement Services in CommunityPharmacy: Planning for SuccessfulImplementation, was designed to readythe industry to implement a set ofcounseling and patient care servicesfor seniors that have yet to be fullydefined by the Centers for Medicareand Medicaid Services.

"The goal of MTM is quite simple:for pharmacists to help patients get thebest use of the medication?but MTMis not just about Medicare," said KurtProcter, president of the NACDS Foundation."Pharmacists are uniquelyqualified and positioned, but we're notthe only ones trying to deliver MTMservices. It's our job to show the rolepharmacists can play in those interventions,and in helping save?money andimproving health care."