Findings from a National Survey of Medicare Beneficiary Perspectives on the Medicare Part D Medication Therapy Management Standardized Format.

BACKGROUND: The Medication Therapy Management (MTM) Program Standardized Format (SF) is a written summary of a comprehensive medication review (CMR) that must be provided to Medicare Part D beneficiaries. Concerns have been raised regarding the number of pages of the SF, mailing costs, the static nature of the document, and the lack of integration into beneficiaries' electronic health records. To date, limited research exists on beneficiaries' perceptions of the SF.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the perspectives of beneficiaries regarding the utility of the SF to inform potential modifications for optimal use.
METHODS: An online survey, designed based on the standard approach to measuring patient satisfaction with health service attributes and previous qualitative research, was distributed through Medicare Part D plans to beneficiaries who had received a CMR in the past year. Survey distribution began July 1, 2018, and data collection ended on October 31, 2018. Descriptive statistics are reported for demographic information; health status; perceived value and helpfulness of the SF and its 3 components (cover letter, medication action plan [MAP], personal medication list [PML]); updates to the SF; alternate formatting; and integration of the SF into health records.
RESULTS: A total of 9,975 surveys were sent electronically by 4 Medicare Part D plans to beneficiaries who had received a CMR in the past year. Of the 434 unduplicated survey respondents (response rate of 4.3%), 58.5% were aged 65 to 84 years; 60% identified themselves as white; and 49.1% had at least a college education. The most commonly reported comorbidities were diabetes (50.5%) and high cholesterol (43.1%), with 10.7% of respondents rating their health as "very good" or "excellent" and 27.4% choosing "poor" or "fair." Beneficiaries rated how well the SF helped improve different aspects of their medication management (e.g., solving medication-related problems, keeping track of medications, correctly using medications, and understanding why medications are being taken), with 40.8%-44.9% choosing "very good" to "excellent" for each aspect. Helpful sections included "What we talked about" and "What I need to do"for the MAP, and medication name, strength, dosage form, and "How and why I use the medication" for the PML. Less helpful were the fill-in sections of the MAP, with 48.6% reporting that they did not write in any information. In contrast, 44.7% of the participants noted that they updated their PML. A wallet card version of the PML, if available, would be used by 54.6% of participants. About one third of Medicare beneficiaries shared the SF with their doctor, and 26% of the participants gave copies of their medication summary to their relatives.
CONCLUSIONS: Fewer than half of the respondents perceived the SF as very good or excellent in helping them to manage their medications. This national survey provides Medicare beneficiary-focused evidence that more work is needed to improve the usability and portability of the SF. This can be achieved by allowing flexibility in the design of the SF, while including essential elements. DISCLOSURES: This study was funded by the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP), which provided a grant to the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy to conduct this study. Carden and Kumbera are AMCP employees. Brandt reports a grant from IMPAQ and consulting fees from Rand, outside of this study. Pellegrin is a member of the AMCP MTM Advisory Board. The other authors have nothing to disclose.