A five year study reveals significant economic benefits of community pharmacy based medication therapy management

The April 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association highlights significantly improved health and economic outcomes from an education and medication therapy management program for asthma patients.

The results from this study clearly demonstrate that community-based medication therapy management is a simple and cost effective approach for improving economic and health outcomes, despite increased medication use, for patients with chronic conditions and for whom proper medication use and self-care are important.

Over a five year period participants in an extension of the Asheville project saw significant improvements in all measures of asthma control. Emergency department visits and hospital visits declined significantly. Direct medical cost savings average $725 per patient per year. Indirect costs associated with missed or nonproductive workdays were estimated to decline by $1230 per patient per year.