Medication issues? A pharmacist review might help

If you’re taking medication and not seeing the results that you and your healthcare team were expecting, you might benefit from medication therapy management (MTM). Simply put, it is a meeting with a specially trained pharmacist to go over your medications together.

During the meeting, an MTM pharmacist will look at your medications and lifestyle holistically to make sure you're taking the best medication for you. Your MTM pharmacist might ask about any supplements or non-prescription medications you take – in case they interact with your prescriptions. When the pharmacist reviews everything together, they might make a recommendation to ensure that you are taking the right dosage to achieve your goals or make changes to address barriers to taking medication, like cost or forgetting.

Bothersome side effects also affect whether you take your medication. If you noticed any changes in how you feel since you started taking your medication, let your doctor or pharmacist know. Side effects can include feeling dizzy, change in mood, and stomach discomfort, among other issues.

Your doctor might refer you for medication therapy management if your medication doesn't have the expected outcome. You can also request an in-person or virtual appointment. Check with your insurance company to see how medication therapy management is covered. We offer medication management services at over 60 M Health Fairview locations.

Amanda Brummel, PharmD, vice president of clinical pharmacy at M Health Fairview, explains four benefits of medication management.

Medication management helps patients achieve their care goals.

Since the purpose of medication is to help control health conditions, a thorough review can help patients achieve their goals. Medication therapy management can help patients optimize their medications to control asthma, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

One study found that when people with diabetes had medication management therapy, they lowered their HbA1c, an indicator of blood-sugar levels, by an average of 0.54% from their score the previous year. Another study found that medication management patients significantly reduced their blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease, at a six-month follow-up.

Medication management could decrease healthcare costs.

When health conditions are controlled with the right medication, overall cost of healthcare tends to decrease.

Sometimes, the cost of prescription medication may increase after the medication therapy management meeting. That’s because patients might need higher doses or different medication to reach their goals. However, those increases can be balanced out by the reduced need for other health care.

“We may reduce a hospitalization because we got them on the right therapy or they’re having to see the doctor less because they’re not having side effects and their condition is more controlled,” Brummel said.

One study found that people were significantly less likely to be readmitted to the hospital after a medication therapy management visit after discharge.

Medication management improves patient experience.

Managing multiple medications can be difficult, but patients find medication management helpful because they’re educated on what they’re taking and why. Pharmacists might be able to make changes to the medication plan to make it easier to follow. In a patient satisfaction survey, 95% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that medication therapy management improved their overall health and wellbeing.

Pharmacists also give patients another healthcare team member to call. Pharmacists can answer questions about medication costs, side effects, and dosing.

Medication management improves provider experience.

Healthcare providers have been experiencing high rates of burnout, particularly since 2020. Medication therapy management helps ease some of that burden. When pharmacists are added to clinical teams, primary care providers reported feeling more supported. The pharmacist team member could share in patient care by answering medication questions. Pharmacists are also more knowledgeable in prescription drug prices, so they could steer the patient to the most cost-effective solutions.