How CDTM Pharmacists Prove Their Value to Payers

At the New England Institute of Ambulatory Care Pharmacists (NEIAP) 2026 Annual Forum in Boston, Massachusetts, Jackie Burke, PharmD, clinical pharmacy manager at Atrius Health, discussed with Pharmacy Times how to demonstrate the value of collaborative drug therapy management (CDTM) pharmacists and what single change can most strengthen a CDTM practice.

Speaking ahead of her panel at the Annual Forum, titled “Turning Knowledge Into Action,” Burke said each stakeholder group wants to see something different, so the key is showing the right information to the right people at the right time. For physicians, she said, the priorities are clinical outcomes and improved access: pharmacist involvement improves patient care and frees capacity on the physician's panel, getting sicker patients in faster while pharmacists maintain more frequent touch points with patients who need extra support but are otherwise stable. She added that this model keeps patients engaged in care and likely makes them more willing to see their primary care team when needed, because their chronic disease management already feels well handled.

For organizational leaders, Burke points to clinical outcomes plus operational benefit and workflow improvement, noting that her organization holds many risk contracts, which makes population health and keeping a patient cohort healthier over the long term especially relevant. Payers, she said, tend to focus on similar measures of patients staying healthier for longer.

Asked what one change a pharmacist with an existing CDTM practice should make in the next year, Burke advised first learning from organizational leaders or physicians what the group actually needs, then choosing a focus area and piloting something. Casting too broadly makes it hard to meet everything; focusing on one initiative—with operational workflows, minimally invasive outcome tracking, and timely reporting—makes a substantial difference.