A New Innovations Exchange Learning Community

According to a recent AHRQ report, medication therapy management (MTM) services are intended to address issues of polypharmacy, preventable adverse drug events, medication adherence, and medication misuse. In line with this report, the AHRQ Health Care Innovations Exchange has identified MTM as a high-priority area for further research.

As defined by the American Pharmacists Association(link is external), “Medication therapy management is a service or group of services that optimize therapeutic outcomes for individual patients. Medication therapy management services include medication therapy reviews, pharmacotherapy consults, anticoagulation management, immunizations, health and wellness programs, and many other clinical services. Pharmacists provide medication therapy management to help patients get the best benefits from their medications by actively managing drug therapy and by identifying, preventing, and resolving medication-related problems.”

Medication Therapy Management Learning Community (MTM LC) Intervention

The MTM LC specifically explores inter-professional care in Federally Qualified Heath Centers (FQHCs). Safety Net clinics such as FQHCs and Look-Alike clinics typically serve at-risk patients with one or more chronic conditions and socioeconomic complexity. Frequently, these populations face challenges in understanding how to take their medications appropriately and why it is important to be actively engaged in the self-management of their health conditions. The MTM LC addresses this challenge by incorporating pharmacists within the FQHC primary care team.

The MTM LC builds upon the work of the MyRx innovation, which consists of a bundle of MTM interventions that were independently tested using comparative effectiveness research (CER) methodology. In collaboration with Texas Southern University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, three affiliated clinics of the Spring Branch FQHC in Houston, Texas will serve as pilot sites for adapting the MyRx innovation and incorporating pharmacists within the FQHC primary care team.

Learning Community Aims

Aim #1: Pilot test the team-based Medication Therapy Management innovation in three FQHC-affiliated community-based clinics.

Aim #2: Improve medication adherence among patients with uncontrolled diabetes in the family medicine practices.

Aim #3: Prevent and reduce medication-related errors prior to discharge from clinic visits.

To meet these aims, the AHRQ Health Care Innovations Exchange is working with the Texas Southern University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and the Spring Branch Community Health Center (SBCHC). The MTM LC has a national representation which includes fourteen primary care and pharmaceutical sites working collaboratively to implement the adapted MyRx innovation. Participants will receive technical assistance and support from nationally recognized experts.

We will periodically provide updates on this page related to the development and progress of the Learning Community. This information may include early results and promising practices, in addition to case studies, issue briefs, and videos that capture key findings and lessons learned.