Shreya Patel, PharmD, is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy and Health Outcomes at Touro College of Pharmacy located on 125th street in the heart of Harlem. In addition, she is a clinical pharmacist at Richmond University Medical Center in Staten Island, N.Y. Here, Dr. Shreya tells us what MTM is.

Q: Can any pharmacist provide MTM services?

A: All pharmacists are trained to design the best possible medication plan for a patient. The American Pharmacist Association also offers a certificate program in MTM to further train pharmacists to review complicated medication plans, identify medication-related problems and make recommendations to doctors and healthcare professionals.

Q: What if a patient doesn’t have a primary care physician for the pharmacist to work with?

A: Most pharmacists who provide MTM services now have physicians they work closely with. If a patient does not have a physician, the pharmacist can contact physicians they know to set up an appointment.

Q: Where can a patient go to receive MTM services?

A: A patient can check with their local pharmacy as more and more community pharmacies are now offering MTM services. A patient can also check with the nearest hospital. A patient can also call their insurance company to get a list of locations nearby that offer MTM services.

Q: What happens after the patient leaves the MTM session?

A: The services a pharmacist provides do not end once the patient leaves the pharmacy. The pharmacist continues to monitor  the patient as long as the patient chooses to receive MTM services at that location. One of the major responsibilities of the pharmacist is not only to design a specific medication plan for each patient, but to monitor  the results of the plan they created.