Comprehensive Medication Management is a systematic process of evaluating drug therapy and making drug therapy recommendations to improve a client’s health. Comprehensive Medication Management should be undertaken within a healthcare team environment which includes the client (patient), the physician and the senior care pharmacist, and involves the following steps:

Step 1: A comprehensive assessment of the client’s medication-related needs involving prescription and nonprescription medications, supplements, herbals, vitamins, etc.:

The senior care pharmacist assesses the client’s medication history to understand what drug therapy has or has not worked in the past and how the current therapy is working to improve health. They will also assess the client’s medication experience which entails understanding the client’s beliefs, concerns, understanding and expectations about their medication. By understanding the client’s medication experience, the pharmacist can discuss with the client their decisions on whether to continue a current drug therapy regimen or determine if there is a need for a change of therapy.

Step 2: Identification of the client’s medication-related problems:

Once the assessment is complete, the senior care pharmacist can then determine if there are any medication-related problems that may be interfering with the client achieving the intended therapy goals. Such medication-related problems may be:

i. Is the medication appropriate for the client and the client’s heath condition?

ii. Is the drug the most effective drug for the medical problem and is the dose appropriate to meet the health goals?

iii. Is the client experiencing any adverse events from the medication or is the dose too high and causing possible toxicities?

iv. Is the client able and willing to take the medication as intended?

Step 3: Develop a Care Plan with individualized therapy goals and personalized interventions/recommendations. Care Plans interventions/recommendations may include:

i. Initiating needed drug therapy, changing drug products or doses, discontinuing medications and educating the client

ii. Establish drug therapy goals for each health condition agreeable to the client

iii. Determine appropriate follow-up time frames to ensure the interventions were effective

iv. Follow-up evaluation to determine the results from the recommendations/interventions and make further interventions.

Your Senior Care Pharmacist will spend approximately an hour with you during the one-on-one interview and will gather all the necessary information to comprehensively evaluate your drug therapy and health conditions. Some of the questions they may ask are:

“What prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, herbals and supplements are you currently taking?”

“ How often do you take these medications and when (morning, evening, with meals)?”

“Why do you take each of the medications and do you think they are improving your health?”

“How do you feel about taking medications?”

Your pharmacist will also ask you specific questions about possible side effects you might be experiencing.

After the interview, your pharmacist will return to the office and do a thorough evaluation of all of your medications, over-the-counters, herbals, supplements and health conditions and answer the following questions:

“Are the medications safe for you?”

“Are there any drug interactions?”

“Are the medications working the way they should to improve your health?”

“Is there a better choice of medication that would work better or cause less side effects?”

“Are you experiencing any side effects or adverse reactions that should be addressed?”

“Are there cheaper alternatives or more natural alternatives that you could try?”

The most effective and thorough medication reviews are achieved when the patient authorizes the senior care pharmacist to request their medication records from their physician. By looking at your most recent lab values and doctors notes, the pharmacist can evaluate each medication to its fullest and determine if the medication is working the way that it should and if you are achieving your health goals.

However, some patients do not want this information requested of their physician, and if that is the case, all you need to do is let us know.

Approximately 1-2 weeks after the meeting with your senior care pharmacist you will receive a written, easy to understand report called a Care Plan, that explains all the findings from the evaluation. If there are any recommendations, they will be included in the report.

Additionally, about 4 weeks after the meeting, you will receive a follow-up phone call from your pharmacist to answer any additional questions or concerns that you may have.

Yes. Along with your Care Plan you will receive an up-to-date medication list nicely documented so that you can keep it with you at all times and take to your future doctor appointments.

The very best results for your health are when we work together as a team – you, your senior care pharmacist, and your doctor. We will send a letter of introduction to your doctor along with any drug therapy recommendations that we have identified.

Again, some clients prefer that recommendations are not sent to their physician and if this is your wish all you need to do is let us know.

This depends completely on the number of medications you take and your health conditions. In general, most reviews fall into the following timelines:

^*Most reviews take between 2-4 hours

Before the visit with your senior care pharmacist, we are more than happy to provide a complementary 15 minute consultation to let you know our estimation on how long the review will take.

Absolutely! By filling out the paperwork available on line before the appointment, a significant amount of time, and therefore money, can be saved.

Absolutely! In fact, this is usually quite helpful, especially if they help you with your doctor’s appointments and/or medications.

Some will, some won’t. It is your responsibility to check with your insurance company to determine if the service will be covered. To help you with the reimbursement process, Medication Advisors will provide you with a SuperBill that lists the nationally recognized CPT codes that insurers use to bill and pay for services.

If you have a Health Care Reimbursement Account (HRCA),  these services are covered and can be reimbursed with your pre-tax savings.

Payment is requested at the time of service and credit cards are accepted.

Yes. While we would like to visit and talk in person so that we can glean as much information as possible about our clients, we can definitely perform our services without the face to face interview. We will need to exchange emails to gather all the required information to complete the Care Plan.

Payments for the service can be done over the Internet via Paypal or credit card.