Economic assessment of changes to an existing medication therapy management program of a large regional health plan.

BACKGROUND: Although medication therapy management (MTM) has specific eligibility criteria and is mandated for specific Medicare Part D enrollees, some health plans have expanded MTM eligibility beyond the minimum criteria to include other Medicare Part D enrollees, Medicaid, and commercial health plan patients. Differences exist in the mode of delivery, location of services, type of personnel involved in managing the service, and the subsequent outcomes. The type and intensity of MTM services delivered have evolved with time to more streamlined and robust interventions, necessitating ongoing evaluation of the effect on clinical and economic outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of changes to an existing MTM program on cost of care, utilization, and medication adherence. METHODS: UPMC Health Plan made changes to an existing MTM program by expanding eligibility (customized by the type of health plan), intervention types, pharmacist involvement, and patient followup contacts. After matching our intervention cohort (identified January 2017-June 2018) with the pre-2016 MTM historical controls (patients identified January 2014-June 2015 who would have been eligible if we used the intervention cohort eligibility criteria), we estimated that the effect of the program changes with a difference-in-difference model (preintervention [2014-2016] and postintervention [2017-2019]). Outcomes of interest included cost (total cost of care including medical, pharmacy, and unplanned care [i.e., unscheduled health care use such as emergency department visits] in 2017 U.S. dollars); utilization; medication adherence (proportion of days covered); and return on investment (ROI). Target population included continuously enrolled patients aged ≥ 21 years in the commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid health plans. RESULTS: Total propensity score-matched members was 10,747, 55% of which were in the historic control group. The average (SD) ages after matching the groups were similar (historical control group: 57.08 years [14.23], intervention group: 56.79 years [14.21]) and the majority was female (57%). Comorbidities identified most for patients included hypertension (77%), dyslipidemia (70%), and diabetes (52%). Forty-one percent were in the commercial, 37% in the Medicaid, and 23% in the Medicare health plans. Proportion of care activities undertaken in the intervention period compared with the control period were significantly different: "sent letter to physician" (67% vs. 87%), "sent letter to member" (15% vs. 0%), "pharmacist phone call to physician" (15% vs. 0.1%), and "pharmacist phone call to member" (13% vs. 7%). There were statistically significant reductions in unplanned care across all health plans especially in the Medicare population, in total cost of care, and increases in medication adherence in 4 therapeutic classes: anticoagulants (OR = 1.25, P = 0.005), cardiac medications (OR = 1.20, P < 0.001), statins (OR = 1.21, P < 0.001), and antidepressants (OR = 1.15, P < 0.001). There was a positive ROI of $18.50 per dollar spent, which equated to a cumulative net savings of $11 million over 24 months. CONCLUSIONS: In a large health plan, expanding MTM eligibility, intensifying patient follow-up contact and pharmacist involvement, and improving provider awareness had favorable clinical and economic benefits. DISCLOSURES: There was no funding for this project except employees' time. All authors are employees of UPMC and have no conflicts of interest to report.

Can a More User-Friendly Medicare Plan Finder Improve Consumers' Selection of Medicare Plans?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy for consumers of two potential enhancements to the Medicare Plan Finder (MPF)-a simplified data display and a "quick links" home page designed to match the specific tasks that users seek to accomplish on the MPF. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING: Participants (N = 641) were seniors and adult caregivers of seniors who were recruited from a national online panel. Participants browsed a simulated version of the MPF, made a hypothetical plan choice, and reported on their experience. STUDY DESIGN: Participants were randomly assigned to one of eight conditions in a fully factorial design: 2 home pages (quick links, current MPF home page) × 2 data displays (simplified, current MPF display) × 2 plan types (stand-alone prescription drug plan [PDP], Medicare Advantage plan with prescription drug coverage [MA-PD]). PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The quick links page resulted in more favorable perceptions of the MPF, improved users' understanding of the information, and increased the probability of choosing the objectively best plan. The simplified data display resulted in a more favorable evaluation of the website, better comprehension of the displayed information, and, among those choosing a PDP only, an increased probability of choosing the best plan. CONCLUSIONS: Design enhancements could markedly improve average website users' understanding, ability to use, and experience of using the MPF.