Helping Patients Manage Medications

Medication therapy managers are pharmacists who've chosen to work directly with patients who take several medications to sort out what works best for them. They help keep healthcare costs down by reducing physician visits and may represent the wave of the future as more insurers cover their services.

By Nancy Crotti, Star Tribune Sales and Marketing

Last update: October 28, 2009 - 2:38 PM

Kelly Schweim could have taken on the traditional role of a pharmacist after receiving her PharmD degree, but Schweim wanted more contact with patients. As a medication therapy management provider, Schweim doesn't dispense medication. She talks with patients about what they're taking and helps assure them their medications are safe and effective.

Schweim works at the University of Minnesota Primary Care Center at the University of Minnesota Fairview Medical Center, spending an hour with each new patient and a half-hour on each follow-up visit.

Medication Education

"They all have chronic conditions. Many, if not most of them, have many medications," Schweim explains. "They are here because they want to learn more about their medications or because they have specific medication concerns they want to talk to me about."

Those concerns may be around effectiveness or side effects, or interactions among prescription and over-the-counter drugs, herbs or supplements. Schweim looks at why patients are taking the medications, whether they are getting the results they want; their ability to take the medications; and drug safety.

Healthcare providers often send patients to Schweim if their patients have tried many medications and are not getting the desired results or reaching their goals. Patients may also self-refer to her.

"I really appreciate working directly with the patients, establishing relationships with them and being a part of their healthcare team," Schweim says. "I am able to make more decisions in this role here in the clinic and working with the other providers directly."

Professional Collaboration

Schweim has collaborative practice agreements with providers in her clinic, which allow her to adjust medications and order laboratory tests based on patient conditions.

"My goal is to identify problems that are caused or can be fixed by medications and come up with solutions for the patient and the provider," Schweim explains. "I always tell patients to feel free to call or e-mail between their appointments if they don't like the way things are going."

Brian Isetts, a pharmacy professor at the U. of MN (www.pharmacy.umn.edu), teaches medication therapy management. He predicts that with drug delivery systems changing and the increase in the number of pharmacy technicians, fewer pharmacists will be dispensing pills and capsules and more will go into the field Schweim has chosen.

"More and more insurance companies are paying for this because they see the benefit and they know that it saves costs," Isetts says. "The job outlook is rosy."

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