AHRQ Research Review Suggests Some Benefit in Use of Medication Therapy Management

A new research review from AHRQ suggests that medication therapy management (MTM) has some benefit for a limited number of intermediate and health utilization effects. According to the research review, “Medication Therapy Management Interventions in Outpatient Settings,” MTM results in improvement when compared with standard care for some measures of medication adherence and appropriateness, medication dosing, health plan expenditures on medication costs, the odds of hospitalization for patients with diabetes or heart failure and the costs of hospitalization for patients with diabetes. Given the widespread implementation of MTM and the urgent need for actionable information, the report indicates that optimal investments in research require prioritizing research needs and addressing the wide variation in populations and interventions, both within and across studies.