NEW YORK – Universal American's members enrolled in its Medicare Advantage plan that carries the Community CCRx Prescription Drug Plan will be able to participate in a new patient care program.

The new program speaks to an emerging trend of pharmacists participating in collaborative care models across many settings, said Anne Burns, vice president of professional affairs for the American Pharmacist Association.

With Medicare patients on complex medication regimens and seeing multiple providers for their chronic diseases, healthcare teams need medication therapy expertise to review all medications for appropriateness, she said.

The Asheville Project and the Ten City Challenge, comprising 10 communities across the country, illustrate the successful programs taken on by self-insured employer groups and health plans in which pharmacists play a critical role, she said.

Medication therapy management, disease state management and immunization services are examples of the value pharmacists provide to improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs, said Jennifer Bruckart, associate director of program 
outreach, Community CCRx, for the National Community Pharmacists Association.

Universal American's program represents the "next logical step in promoting comprehensive quality care," she said. "The role of the pharmacist in assuring the proper use of medication is a critical piece of the puzzle, as is the importance of pharmacists and physicians working together to improve health outcomes."

Both Bruckhart and Burns agreed that HIT and interoperability of clinical and administrative systems enable communication among patients, pharmacists and physicians for these programs.

"Any requirement to collaborate in any industry is intimately connected with IT today," said Eric Brown, research director for healthcare at Forrester Research. It's particularly critical in the healthcare industry because of the enormous amount and detailed nature of data and the collaboration among many organizations.

Big-box retailers and pharmacy chains have lowered drug costs and are squeezing margins for full-service pharmacies, he said.