Pharmacist Services Technical Advisory Coalition awarded grant from Community Pharmacy Foundation

The Pharmacist Services Technical Advisory Coalition (PSTAC), an alliance of seven national pharmacy organizations, has recently been awarded a grant from the Community Pharmacy Foundation to support an educational campaign on Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes used for Medication Therapy Management Services (MTMS) provided by pharmacists.

CPT codes are the nomenclature used by the health care industry for reporting professional services, laboratory tests, and medical procedures in health care claims. In 2000, the CPT code set was designated in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) as the national coding standard for the health care industry. CPT codes provide a critical, nationally recognized standard for documenting, reporting, and billing for pharmacists' patient care services.

The campaign will include the development of web-based educational materials, including case studies and resources to help pharmacists integrate CPT codes and coding procedures into their various practice environments and systems. The goal of the educational campaign is to reach all pharmacy settings; hence the educational materials will be rolled out to the state pharmacy associations through the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA) for use at meetings and conferences. "This generous grant from the Community Pharmacy Foundation will provide us with educational tools to help pharmacists achieve a transformational change in their practice settings that is geared toward a service orientation," said Kathryn Kuhn, PSTAC Executive Secretary.

The American Medical Association (AMA) Current Procedural Terminology Editorial Panel approved three CPT codes to enable pharmacists to communicate with payers that provide an MTMS benefit, including the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan. The MTMS codes were released July 1, 2005, became effective January 1, 2006 and are intended for MTMS performed face-to-face between a pharmacist and a patient. However, training, education and promotion regarding these MTMS CPT codes is necessary in order for pharmacists to facilitate this service-oriented practice and payment model.

The Pharmacist Services Technical Advisory Coalition (PSTAC), www.pstac.org works to provide the national leadership necessary to secure pharmacy's position in the national electronic data interchange environment related to health encounter/claims processing and payment of pharmacist professional services. PSTAC's membership consists of the following seven national pharmacy organizations:

• Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy
• American College of Clinical Pharmacy
• American Pharmacists Association
• National Community Pharmacists Association
• American Society of Consultant Pharmacists
• American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
• National Association of Chain Drug Stores

Additional information about the initiative is now available from NCPA by going to the PSTAC website at www.pstac.org

http://www.pstac.org

Additional information about the initiative is now available from NCPA by going to the PSTAC website at www.pstac.org