Improving the uptake of pharmacist recommendations from medication therapy management consults

Abstract

Published evidence has repeatedly demonstrated the value of pharmacist-delivered Medication Therapy Management (MTM) services. However, a key challenge in maximizing the benefits of these efforts is increasing the rate at which providers accept recommendations. Evidence from recent program evaluations show pharmacists often identify and make many recommendations to patients' providers, but acceptance of these recommendations within a 1-month or 3-month follow-up timeframe is typically low, rarely exceeding 50% of recommendations accepted. Dedicated research is necessary to establish the evidence as to why pharmacists' MTM recommendations are not always addressed and to identify strategies to improve this.