Medica Selects Fairview Pharmacy Services, LLC to Deliver Medication Therapy Management Services to City of Minneapolis Employees
Innovative program brings pharmacists and patients together in person, by webcam or by phone; expected 3-to-1 return on investment.
Minneapolis, MN, March 12, 2010 – Medica Health Plans has chosen Fairview Pharmacy Services, LLC to provide Medication Therapy Management (MTM) to City of Minneapolis employees and family members with Medica health plan coverage. The program will bring pharmacists and members together for one-to-one consultations in person, by phone and cutting-edge webcam technology.
Fairview Pharmacy Services, LLC is a business unit of Fairview Health Services, the not-for-profit, integrated health care network serving Minneapolis-St. Paul and communities throughout greater Minnesota and the Upper Midwest.
"We are pleased to bring Fairview's MTM services as a pilot program to a group of our members who use multiple medications to manage complex, chronic illnesses," said Kevin Ronneberg, M.D., Medica medical director. Based on its solid track record, Fairview MTM improves clinical outcomes. Improved health through a flexible consultation model leads to fewer unnecessary emergency room visits and inpatient stays while providing cost savings for our members."
Fairview provides MTM services through a network of specially trained pharmacists who have one-to-one consultations with patients struggling with chronic diseases such as diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension. Together with the patients' physicians and other health care providers, MTM pharmacists help patients solve medication-related problems, adhere to drug regimens and achieve optimal health outcomes. Fairview MTM can bring a 3-to-1or greater return on investment by lowering overall health care costs of participants.
Fairview's MTM service program offers Medical's City of Minneapolis employees and family members unique flexibility in keeping their important appointments with the program's pharmacists. Appointments can take place at designated clinic sites, by phone, or by an innovative webcam system that enables pharmacists and patients to have virtual "anytime, anywhere" visits.
"Our MTM consultations are clinically rigorous and as convenient for the patient as they can possibly be," said Amanda Brummel, Pharm.D., MTM Program Manager, Fairview Pharmacy Services. "We are pleased that Medica has chosen us to partner in this important step in helping employees manage and improve their health and well-being."
About Fairview Pharmacy Services
Fairview Pharmacy Services, LLC is a leader in providing Medication Therapy Management (MTM) as a value-based benefit to health plans, employers and communities. Services include virtual and in-person pharmacist consultations, operational management, targeting of qualified members, employee engagement and communications, incentive programs and clinical outcomes reporting. Organizations utilizing Fairview MTM include the City of Duluth; General Mills Inc.; the State of Minnesota; Medica; and Fairview Health Services.
About Medica Health Plans
Medica is a health insurance company headquartered in Minneapolis and active in the Upper Midwest. With nearly 1.5 million members, the non-profit company provides health care coverage in the employer, individual, Medicaid, Medicare and Medicare Part D markets in Minnesota and a growing number of counties in North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Medica also offers national network coverage to employers who also have employees outside the Medica regional network.
