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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Erin Wendel,
202.429.7558; ewendel@aphanet.org
October 15, 2008
APhA Hosts Successful Medication Therapy Management
Documentation and
Billing Standardization & Interoperability Stakeholders Meeting
WASHINGTON, DC - The American Pharmacists
Association (APhA) convened an important stakeholders meeting, Mapping
the Route to MTM Documentation & Billing Standardization and
Interoperability within the Health Care System, on October 7-8 in
Bethesda, MD. More than 60 thought leaders from diverse stakeholder
groups attended the meeting to discuss principles for standardizing
documentation and billing for medication therapy management (MTM)
services and how to integrate MTM service data elements into the broader
electronic health record (EHR).
Participants at the meeting included representatives from national
pharmacy associations, health information technology organizations,
government agencies, MTM vendors, health plans, standard-setting
organizations, and quality organizations among others. Dr. Robert
Kolodner, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
within the Department of Health and Human Services, the government
agency leading the implementation of an interoperable health information
technology infrastructure, served as keynote speaker for the
conference.
Pharmacists actively contribute to quality patient care through
medication therapy management services (MTM) focused on optimizing
individual therapeutic outcomes. As MTM programs continue to expand
within the health care system, one barrier to implementation is the lack
of standardization for documentation and billing of MTM services.
"This meeting was an excellent first step in working to address this
barrier, and to ensure that data from MTM services is incorporated into
the electronic health record so that system efficiencies are adopted in
care documentation, billing and outcomes evaluation activities," said
Anne Burns, APhA’s Vice President for Professional Affairs. "The
broad expertise of the participants resulted in informed discussions and
an increased recognition among stakeholders of the issues that need to
be addressed."
The proceedings from this meeting will be released publicly. APhA is
committed to serving a leadership role in addressing this important
issue and to collaborating with key stakeholders throughout the
healthcare system. APhA is continuing its efforts to promote the
expansion of MTM services provided by pharmacists leading to optimized
medication use and improved patient care. The meeting was made possible
through the support of Amgen.
About the American Pharmacists Association
(APhA)
The American Pharmacists Association, founded in 1852 as the American
Pharmaceutical Association, represents more than 63,000 practicing
pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, student pharmacists, pharmacy
technicians, and others interested in advancing the profession. APhA,
dedicated to helping all pharmacists improve medication use and advance
patient care, is the first-established and largest association of
pharmacists in the United States. APhA members provide care in all
practice settings, including community pharmacies, hospitals, long-term
care facilities, managed care organizations, hospice settings, and the
military.
About Amgen
Amgen discovers, develops, manufactures and delivers innovative human
therapeutics. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen was one of the
first companies to realize the new science's promise by bringing safe
and effective medicines from lab, to manufacturing plant, to patient.
Amgen therapeutics have changed the practice of medicine, helping
millions of people around the world in the fight against cancer, kidney
disease, rheumatoid arthritis and other serious illnesses. With a deep
and broad pipeline of potential new medicines, Amgen remains committed
to advancing science to dramatically improve people's lives. To learn
more about our pioneering science and our vital medicines, visit www.amgen.com.
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