College Faculty Play Integral Role in Expanding Medication Therapy Management Benefit University-Wide

The successful launch of a Medication Therapy Management (MTM) benefit from the University’s health plan, UPlan, has been a joint effort between College of Pharmacy faculty and staff, and the University’s Human Resources office.

For months before the launch of the new benefit, Professor Steve Schondelmeyer and Assistant Professor Sarah Westberg worked with the University’s employee benefits office on the MTM benefit design and the development of the UPlan MTM network. Westberg also worked closely with college staff member Julie Balthazor to recruit 77 pharmacists, providing MTM at 92 locations, to create a network to serve the U’s employees in all parts of the state.

The MTM benefit, which was initially proposed by Senior Associate Dean and Professor Randy Seifert as a pilot on the Duluth campus in 2007, expanded University-wide this spring.

Today, eligible University employees and dependents enrolled in UPlan will have access to pharmacists specially trained in MTM. Employees or their dependents are eligible to enroll in the MTM program if they take four or more UPlan-covered prescriptions and covered over-the-counter medications for chronic conditions or are referred by their physician. UPlan pays the full cost of MTM pharmacy services so there is no copay or other cost to enrollees.

The University of Minnesota Health Plan (UPlan) is looking for pharmacists to provide medication therapy management services to University employees and their dependents. MTM providers are needed near the University campuses in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, Rochester, Crookston and Morris, although UPlan members are distributed across the region.

Join the University of Minnesota’s MTM Program and Practice Pharmacy the Way You Envisioned It Would Be

Are you an eligible provider?
You are eligible to be in the UPlan network of MTM providers if you graduated in 1996 or later or have taken an approved continuing education course for qualification.

Will you be reimbursed?
Yes. You would submit MTM claims to Medica and HealthPartners using MTM CPT codes. Your reimbursement will be determined by the UPlan and will be based on rates established by a crosswalk from CPT codes to a resource-based relative value scale.

Where can you get more information?
Visit the UPlan Web site at www.umn.edu/ohr/benefits/pharmacy/mtmproviders for the program statement and application, or contact Julie Balthazor, UPlan MTM Program, at balt0012@umn.edu or 612-625-0001.

(Excerpted from The Record, Spring 2009.)

Related link:

MTM Program Expands as University-Wide Benefit