• Joseph A Woelfel, Sian M Carr-Lopez, Melanie Delos Santos, Ann Bui, Rajul A Patel, Mark P Walberg, and Suzanne M Galal.
• Department of Pharmacy Practice, University of the Pacific, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Stockton, California.
• Consult Pharm. 2014 Feb 1; 29 (2): 104-9.

ObjectivesTo assess Medicare beneficiaries' willingness-to-pay (WTP) for medication therapy management (MTM) services and determine sociodemographic and clinical characteristics influencing this payment amount.DesignA cross-sectional, descriptive study design was adopted to elicit Medicare beneficiaries' WTP for MTM.SettingNine outreach events in cities across Central/Northern California during Medicare's 2011 open-enrollment period.ParticipantsA total of 277 Medicare beneficiaries participated in the study.InterventionsComprehensive MTM was offered to each beneficiary. Pharmacy students conducted the MTM session under the supervision of licensed pharmacists. At the end of each MTM session, beneficiaries were asked to indicate their WTP for the service. Medication, self-reported chronic conditions, and beneficiary demographic data were collected and recorded via a survey during the session.ResultsThe mean WTP for MTM was $33.15 for the 277 beneficiaries receiving the service and answering the WTP question. WTP by low-income subsidy recipients (mean ± standard deviation; $12.80 ± $24.10) was significantly lower than for nonsubsidy recipients ($41.13 ± $88.79). WTP was significantly (positively) correlated with number of medications regularly taken and annual out-of-pocket drug costs.ConclusionThe mean WTP for MTM was $33.15. WTP for MTM significantly varied by race, subsidy status, and number of prescription medications taken. WTP was significantly higher for nonsubsidy recipients than subsidy recipients, and significantly positively correlated with the number of medications regularly taken and the beneficiary rating of the delivered services.

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