NCPDP touts new MTM standards, other safety successes in 2011

Developing new standards for medication therapy management (MTM) was just one of the initiatives that the non-profit National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) accomplished last year.

“We made tremendous progress in 2011, moving patient safety initiatives forward and enhancing interoperability and collaboration across healthcare,” said Lee Ann Stember, president of NCPDP, the pharmacy standards development organization, based in Scottsdale, Ariz.

NCPDP developed its new MTM transactions to increase the accuracy of service requests and pharmacist documentation of MTM services.

In addition, NCPDP hosted focus groups and produced a white paper providing industry guidance on best practices for labels on prescription medications containing acetaminophen.

“NCPDP continues to move the patient safety issue forward, to make it easier for patients and consumers to recognize when prescription medicines contain acetaminophen and to support the safe use of these medicines,” according to a statement from NCPDP.

In 2011, NCPDP reconvened its Electronic Prior Authorization (ePA) Task Group to evaluate the use of existing ePA transactions, pilot projects, and assess industry needs that have expanded with advances in MTM, biotechnology, and other factors. In the near future, the ePA will work to develop a flexible, industry-wide standard for the exchange of ePA data.

Other NCPDP accomplishments in 2011 included easing the implementation and appropriate use of Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) and enhancing SCRIPT standards to enable e-prescribing of controlled substances.

For more information, visit the NCPDP’s website.