MHA: New Long-Term Care Pharmacy Study Highlights Unrecognized Outcomes and Cost Related to Patient Rx Interventions

Managed Health Care Associates, Inc. (MHA) issued the following announcement on July 23.

Managed Health Care Associates, Inc. (MHA), a leading health care services and software company focused on the alternate site health care provider marketplace, is excited to announce the release of new study titled "The Value of the Long-Term Care Pharmacist in the Delivery and Continuum of Care."

Authored with input from the MHA Long-Term Care Pharmacy Advisory Board, Membership, and Business Partners, this comprehensive study marks the first collaborative effort produced to help long-term care pharmacies overcome legacy barriers and achieve formal recognition of their role, value and cost to deliver care and value for the benefit of highly vulnerable patients with complex needs, as well as PBMs, Health Plans, pharmaceutical companies and other industry stakeholders. The lack of clear understanding and recognition has never been more evident than during the current pandemic. The study includes "My Pandemic Response" stories submitted by MHA member pharmacies, in addition to:

(1)
Information driving toward a more accurate definition of the support long-term care pharmacies provide in multiple health care practice settings including the activities to deliver care across these various settings, the patient journey, and associated cost to dispense are homogenous aside from different nomenclature
(2)
Clarity around the long-term care pharmacy drug administration model and what specific patient support activities drive incremental Cost-to-Dispense (CTD) compared to other models
(3)
Cases showing unrecognized Rx intervention investments by long-term care pharmacies that drive impactful outcomes for patients, PBMs, health plans and others in the continuum of care. The Rx interventions are shown to cost upwards of $40-$50+ each for applied at admission and upwards of $15-$20+ per discharge for those supporting transitions of care.
(4)
Significant outcomes associated with medication adherence, discontinuation of medications, acute care/ ER visit avoidance, as well as those associated with the emerging Medical at Home care  

The study also marks the first release of MHA member Medication Adherence Rate Trends for both skilled nursing and assisted living settings, to hopefully establish a foundation for industry benchmarking going forward. MHA is committed to leveraging this data on behalf of the long-term care pharmacy industry, in order to understand the total economic value of these outcomes to all stakeholders and the health system in general.

The study and associated published articles will be available to MHA members.

Joe Whitt, President and CEO of PCA Pharmacy, a member of the MHA Long-Term Care Pharmacy Advisory Board, comments, "We are proud to have PCA Pharmacy be part of this new study and the opportunity to showcase our Meds to Home program and the great outcomes it is generating. PCA is appreciative of MHA's effort to move the industry forward in recognition of these types of programs and outcomes but also the type of investment we are making in support of the country's most acute patients."

Diane Koontz, MHA President, adds, "We are thrilled to publish this important study to help our members advocate for the value delivered by long-term care pharmacies, not least given the challenging pandemic conditions we all face today. The truly impressive Medication Adherence metrics and the outcomes illustrate the value driven by our members' Rx interventions – and spotlights the need for this additional value to be appropriately recognized."

About MHA
Managed Health Care Associates, Inc. (MHA) is a leading health care services and software company that offers a growing portfolio of services and solutions to support the diverse and complex needs of the alternate site health care provider. MHA provides expertise in Group Purchasing, Managed Care and Payor Contracting, Reimbursement Management, Specialty Pharmacy Solutions, Pharmaceutical Data Analytics, Consultant Pharmacy Software and Legislative Advocacy. Through the delivery of innovative health care services and solutions, MHA helps Members increase operational efficiency, maximize business growth and provide optimum care for their patients. For more information, visit www.mhainc.com

Original source can be found here.