Impact of Telephonic Comprehensive Medication Reviews on Patient Outcomes

OBJECTIVES: The majority of studies on medication therapy management (MTM) have focused on the conduct of in-person comprehensive medication reviews (CMRs). Although face-to-face MTM services may be the most well-known mode of delivery, there are other ways CMRs can be implemented as part of an MTM service. Specifically, telephonic CMR is an alternative method of offering MTM services that many patients may welcome. The purpose of this commentary was to highlight current findings regarding the impact of telephonic CMRs as a component of MTM services on health outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: Review of available literature analyzing the impact of telephonic CMRs on health outcomes. METHODS: PubMed was used to identify studies published between January 1980 and December 2016 using the search terms medication therapy management (MTM), telephonic MTM, comprehensive medication reviews, and targeted medication reviews. This search was limited to publications in English. Case reports were excluded. RESULTS: CMRs conducted telephonically as part of an MTM program may potentially reduce healthcare expenditures, hospitalizations, and mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Although study results have shown telephonic CMRs to be an effective way to enhance patient care and reduce healthcare expenditures, the components of telephonic MTM programs that make them most effective and the population on which they have the greatest impact are unknown. Moving forward, further evaluation of these programs is necessary to determine which specific factors, such as access to patient electronic health records, patient follow-up frequency, and the use of collaborative practice agreements, are most vital to improving patient outcomes.