Research in social & administrative pharmacy : RSAP
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Res Social Adm Pharm · Jun 2010
PDP or MA-PD? Medicare part D enrollment decisions in CMS Region 25.
The Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 provides outpatient prescription drug coverage for Medicare beneficiaries through private insurers. This coverage is available through 2 primary venues: stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs) and integrated managed care (or Medicare Advantage) plans that also provide prescription drug coverage (MA-PDs). ⋯ Models of health insurance demand and plan choice applied in this context appear to be modestly effective. Rurality and state of residence were particularly important contributors to both of these decisions, as were a variety of individual characteristics.
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Res Social Adm Pharm · Jun 2010
Comparative StudyImpact of Medicare Part D on independent and chain community pharmacies in rural Illinois--A qualitative study.
Although the sustainability of rural pharmacy services is a concern of long standing, the rural marketplace is not monolithic. Enhanced understanding of different experiences, strengths, and potential weaknesses of rural chain and independent pharmacies could help inform health policy debates, legislation, and consideration of disparities and access. This study compared and contrasted experiences by pharmacists in chain and independent community pharmacies during Medicare Part D implementation. ⋯ The findings showed a disparate impact of Medicare Part D on the initial experiences and perceived viability of independent community pharmacies, in comparison with their chain pharmacy counterparts. The long-term implications of changing regulatory environments and customers' pharmacy needs in underserved communities should be carefully considered and monitored.
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Res Social Adm Pharm · Jun 2010
Patient satisfaction with a pharmacist-provided telephone medication therapy management program.
Patient satisfaction with medication therapy management (MTM), a required component of the Medicare Part D benefit, is an important outcome to consider when evaluating MTM programs. ⋯ Most of the beneficiaries were satisfied with their MTM care. The positive response to telephone MTM is important because Medicare Part D plans are using the telephone as a method of MTM delivery. Education regarding the pharmacist's role in preventive care and pharmacist follow-up with non-pharmacist health care providers may lead to greater satisfaction levels.
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Res Social Adm Pharm · Mar 2010
Community pharmacists' prescription intervention practices--exploring variations in practice in Norwegian pharmacies.
Evidence suggests that prescription intervention frequencies have been found to vary as much as 10-fold among Norwegian pharmacies and among pharmacists within the same pharmacy. ⋯ Implementation of a general organizational model made it easier to analyze and interpret the pharmacists' intervention practices. Working environment, technology, management and professional skills may all contribute to variations in pharmacists' prescription intervention practices in and between community pharmacies.