The Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists (ICHP) supports the consensus definition of Medication Therapy Management (MTM) as presented by the group of eleven national pharmacy organizations in July 2004.
"MTM is a distinct service or group of services that optimize therapeutic outcomes for individual patients. MTM Services are independent of, but can occur in conjunction with, the provision of a medication product."1
The MTM service model in pharmacy practice includes the following five core elements2:
- Medication therapy review is a systematic process of collecting patient-specific information, assessing medication therapies to identify medication-related problems, developing a prioritized list of medication-related problems, and creating a plan to resolve them.
- Personal medication record - a complete list of all prescription and non-prescriptions medications and herbal products taken by the patient.
- Medication-related action plan-comprehensive medication-related education, consultation and advice provided to patients, family and/or caregivers to help assure proper use of medications.
- Intervention and/or referral-collaboration with the patient, physician, and other health care providers to develop and achieve optimal goals of medication therapy.
- Documentation and follow-up – MTM services are documented in a consistent manner, and a follow-up MTM visit is scheduled based on the patient's medication-related needs with clear communication from one care setting to another.
These core elements form a framework for the delivery of MTM services in all care settings in which patients take medications.
References:
1. Definition of MTM approved July 27, 2004 by the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the American College of Apothecaries, the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, the American Pharmacists Association, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the National Community Pharmacists Association and the National Council of State Pharmacy Association Executives. https://www.aphafoundation.org/medication-therapy-management (last accessed 8/4/2020).
2. American Pharmacists Association; National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation. Medication Therapy Management in Pharmacy Practice: Core Elements of an MTM Service Model (version 2.0). J Am Pharm Assoc (2003). 2008 May-Jun;48(3):341-53. doi: 10.1331/JAPhA.2008.08514. PMID: 18595820.
Revised 12/2022