Comprehensive Medication Management (CMM) is a systematic approach to medications where physicians and pharmacists ensure that medications (prescription, non-prescription, vitamins and more) are individually accessed to determine that the product is correct for the patient, complementary to each other and the patient’s condition(s).
Currently, that ideal only exists in limited areas and through limited health plans. To incorporate CMM into our health care system requires team-based, patient-centered care models that recognize appropriately skilled clinical pharmacists who are medication experts working in collaboration with physicians and other providers.
CMM is critical to patients because almost 75% of patients leave their physician’s office with a prescription, and nearly one-third of adults in the U.S. take five or more medications. CMM corrects medication therapy problems, which are a preventable cause of serious adverse health events and hospital readmissions.
We hope to help put policies in place that will ensure CMM is an essential element in a patient focused health care system. We hope to encourage stakeholders to work together to guide Medicare, Medicaid, marketplace health plans, private employer and ERISA plans to implement CMM.