In a win for pharmacists, health care and patients, Kansas officially became one of 48 states and Washington, D.C. to adopt regulations concerning collaborative drug therapy management on July 1.
This occurrence foreshadows the conclusion of a years-long movement to win greater autonomy for pharmacists and the launch of a new era of teamwork in health care.
Collaborative drug therapy management, better known as CDTM, is an approach to health care delivery and drug therapy that utilizes a formal relationship between pharmacists and other health care providers, namely physicians, to better serve the patient holistically. The parameters of such a relationship are established in a collaborative practice agreement (CPA).
Kansas became one of the last states to pass legislation that allows for CDTM when amendments proposed in February were enacted July 1. The extent of these regulations varies greatly by state. Some (like the Kansas law) simply define and authorize CDTM in broad terms, while others limit CDTM to certain situations, medications or locations.
A movement with momentum
Although collaborative management has been informally practiced since the 1970s, only recently has this approach to healthcare gained momentum and incited legislation.
Nick Smock, Pharm.D., MBA, president and CEO of PBA Health, said the recent push is motivated by a desire for appropriate recognition and payment for the work pharmacists are doing.
“With more drug payments by third party payers, such as government, insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), who are wanting positive patient outcomes, it is time for health care to recognize pharmacists by paying for their services and knowledge in pharmaco-economics that improve patient outcomes and lower cost,” Smock said.
Over the past two decades, the increased specialization and education of pharmacists have equipped them with the knowledge and clinical training to expand their roles beyond traditional dispensing of prescriptions. CDTM allows for them to realize that potential as the regulations may give pharmacists the authority to perform assessments and counseling, order lab tests, administer medication or control the initiation, monitoring and modification of drug regimens.
Looking to the future
The benefit of widespread CDTM could be exponential. By offering a more comprehensive look at patient wellbeing and fostering close relationships across health care networks, collaboration creates more efficient and effective experiences for both patient and provider.
CDTM can minimize unnecessary trips to the doctor, delays in drug modification and fragmentation of care, while improving patient compliance and overall health outcomes. In a health care landscape where more than one-fourth of emergency room visits are attributed to adverse drug reactions, the heightened understanding of drug therapy that CDTM can instill in patients may diminish such preventable maladies in the future.
Partnerships with specific physicians or practices may create better health care outcomes for the patient, but they also drive referrals and often result in mutually beneficial business gains. As collaborative drug therapy management gains momentum and approval among lawmakers and patients alike, qualified pharmacists may consider joining the movement toward team-oriented health care and better business for all.
