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Bend Pilot Project is Just What the Doctor Ordered

Local health care experts team up for better patient outcomes
November 3, 2014

BEND, OREGON (November 3, 2014) – Following the doctor’s orders is often easier said than done, especially when it comes to taking medications. Lacking information and support, nearly 75 percent of adults fail to take their medications as advised, resulting in an estimated $290 billion in unnecessary health care spending annually.

In Bend, many high-risk patients will soon be getting the pharmaceutical support they need through a pilot program led by PacificSource Community Solutions (PacificSource) and implemented by MTMCare, St. Charles Health System and Bend Memorial Clinic. Patients with complex medication programs will receive detailed medication reviews as a means to prevent and/or address medicationrelated problems. 

“By addressing the fears or questions people have about taking medications before a major medical issue surfaces, we can prevent hospital visits,” says Nicole Schrankel, PHARMD.

Schrankel is co-founder of MTMCare, a network of pharmacists providing one-on-one consulting as a way to help patients optimize their current medication regimen and avoid medication-related problems. She says that many patients don’t think to ask what symptoms their medications are treating or what to do if they suffer side effects.

Medication therapy management (MTM) is slowly gaining traction as an important preventative service. Yet many primary care providers can’t afford to hire a full-time, in-house pharmacist. That’s where MTMCare comes in. As part of the pilot, an MTMCare consultant pharmacist will be visiting with highrisk patients at St. Charles Health System and Bend Memorial Clinic. The patients are selected by PacificSource and are considered to have the most to gain from working with an integrated team of health care providers, including a pharmacist.

“Pharmaceutical services are an important part of the medical home model,” says Karen Ibach, referring to the patient-centered, team-based approach to primary care. As a clinical pharmacist at St. Charles Health System, she currently travels to work at all four St. Charles medical clinics in Central Oregon, consulting with patients who are on multiple medications. It’s a big job for one person. “I’m looking forward to working with MTMCare, as well as the other project partners, to better serve our community and improve patient outcomes.”

“We don’t know of a better way to help ensure medication adherence than to sit down with patients to try to understand their specific barriers,” says Josie Lucas, LPN, department and project manager at Bend Memorial Clinic.

The 9-month program known as the Central Oregon Clinical Pharmacy Services Pilot Project is funded by Oregon’s health “transformation funds.” In 2013, the state legislature directed the funds to be used for projects that would create services targeting the state’s Medicaid population to make health care more efficient and cost-effective. PacificSource and MTMCare implemented a similar program in Hood River with Columbia Gorge Family Medicine, and the results so far have been positive.

“With U.S. health care spending at an all-time high, there is a growing need to find solutions that cut costs and help patients live longer, more enjoyable lives,” says Randee Bowder, RPh, MTMCare’s CEO and co-founder. “We’ve proven that integrated solutions improve patient outcomes. We are very excited to be working directly with health care providers in Oregon and with PacificSource to tackle important health care issues.”

MTMCare also provides phone-based MTM services to high-risk patients by utilizing an expanding network of pharmacists located throughout the country. Most of this phone-based consulting is a result of its partnership with OutcomesMTM™, a national leader in the design, delivery and administration of MTM programs. With its network of pharmacist consultants, MTMCare served about 5,000 patients in 2013, a number that has doubled in 2014. 

To learn more about MTMCare or inquire about partnership or employment opportunities, visit www.mymtmcare.com.

About MTMCare
MTMCare is a network of pharmacists that provides one-on-one medication therapy management (MTM) and clinical pharmacy services to high-risk patients. MTMCare works with health plans, organizations and directly with patients. Through these meaningful relationships, MTMCare’s consultant pharmacists provide support and deliver expert advice as a way to reduce medication-related health problems. Serving an estimated 10,000 patients annually, MTMCare is improving the lives of patients and cutting health care costs for both the people and organizations it serves. For more information, please visit www.mymtmcare.com.

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