Medication Therapy Management and Collaborative Health Care: Implications for Social Work Practice (Practice FORUM‪)‬

Medication therapy management (MTM) is a relatively new method of monitoring patient medication use and adherence. Medicare Part D has not only recognized its effectiveness and ability to enhance patient care, but has made MTM a required process for patient members with specific diseases (Doucette, McDonough, Klepser,&McCarthy, 2005). MTM provides a flamework for pharmacists and physicians to collaborate on medication administration and monitoring of medication use (Kuo, Bucldey, Fitzsimmons,&Steinbauer, 2004). Collaborative health-care models such as MTM offer promising possibilities for improved administration of services and enhanced quality of care for patients. These frameworks use the unique skills and knowledge of each specific health-care profession involved, and they offer opportunities for the field of social work. This article examines MTM within a framework of collaborative care. First, an overview of the collaborative model of health care is provided. Second, the use of MTM in monitoring medication adherence is examined. Third, the role of pharmacists in collaborative health care is evaluated. Finally, implications for the use of MTM in conjunction with services provided by the social work profession are addressed.