McKesson has launched a Medication Therapy Management pilot program with the Wisconsin Pharmacy Quality Collaborative, a multi-organizational initiative led by the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin, to strengthen communication among pharmacists, physicians and payers.
The McKesson MTM solution leverages the RelayHealth connectivity service, clinical support tools and reimbursement support services through the company's AccessHealth managed care division.
The Wisconsin Pharmacy Quality Collaborative consists of pharmacists and health plan/purchaser representatives and is dedicated to creating a pharmacy quality pay-for-performance demonstration project to align incentives for pharmacists and payers. The group was established in July 2006, beta testing for the demonstration project began in December 2007 and the live program launched on March 19.
"McKesson has a proven record of providing innovative health information technology systems. Furthermore, its understanding of the pharmacy business is like no one else's in the industry, making it an ideal company for us to partner with in the emerging MTM market," said Chris Decker, executive vice president and CEO of the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin. "We are very pleased to be working with McKesson on this breakthrough pilot and look forward to tracking the program's positive results over the coming months."
WPQC pilot pharmacies that provide MTM services will be reimbursed by participating payers.
Payers committed to participate in the pilot include Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin and Unity Health Insurance. Additionally, United Health Care of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services for its Medicaid, Senior Care and Badger Care programs have signed letters of intent to participate.
"In one of today's most competitive markets, MTM offers a promising opportunity for community pharmacy to take advantage of a new revenue channel, while also elevating its role within the overall healthcare delivery system," said Dave Feeney, a member of McKesson's MTM advisory board and owner of Oxnard Health Mart Pharmacy. "MTM is an important step toward a new era of pharmaceutical care, and it's exciting to see McKesson take such a proactive role in defining this future."