PharmMD Helps Guard Against Medication Misuse, Overuse, Abuse

NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 19 /PRNewswire/ — Healthcare leaders behind Nashville-based PharmMD Solutions, LLC announce the launch of a medication therapy management (MTM) company dedicated to reducing medication related health problems.

PharmMD works with employers and payers to help ensure that beneficiaries are receiving the most appropriate medications by improving coordination and communication among physicians, pharmacists, payers and patients. Founded in 2006, the company has developed an extensive software and operating platform to support its proprietary process for analyzing pharmacy and medical claims information and clinical decision making.

Adverse medication events result in an estimated 700,000 emergency room visits annually; the Institute of Medicine reports that 1.5 million U.S. patients are harmed every year by medication errors. With more than 90 million Americans experiencing at least one chronic condition, and drug utilization dramatically increasing under Medicare Part D, the need for dedicated and timely medication therapy management has increased significantly.

“People are taking more drugs than ever before. And the drugs are more powerful than ever before. PharmMD is the safety net employers and payers can give to their beneficiaries to ensure the right drug gets to the right patient in the right dose for the right reason,” says Michael D. Hogue, Pharm.D., co-founder and Assistant Professor of Ambulatory Care at the McWhorter School of Pharmacy at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala.

Because PharmMD focuses exclusively on MTM, the company is able to analyze both aggregate and patient-specific data to identify trends and conflicts to positively impact patient health and contain costs.

“One-third of all prescriptions never get filled, and one-third of prescriptions filled are not taken by the patient. There’s clearly a disconnect in the marketplace and we’re in a unique position to address it,” explains Samuel “Bo” Bartholomew III, PharmMD co-founder and chief executive officer.

A healthcare executive with experience in a variety of healthcare settings, Bartholomew combined his understanding of hospital management, physician relations and health information technology in developing PharmMD and assembling its team of clinical and IT professionals.

“In my years as a hospital administrator, I personally witnessed the dramatic and positive impacts of putting protocols in place that improved coordination between pharmacists and physicians,” says Bartholomew. “PharmMD technology allows us to realize those same positive impacts for a variety of users — from large self-insured employers to government payers to chain drug stores and independent pharmacies. In every case, the patient is the greatest beneficiary.”

R. Clayton McWhorter chairs the PharmMD board. “Our healthcare system is fragmented with remarkably little routine monitoring of the appropriate use of medications,” explains McWhorter. “In today’s world, there is very little incentive — or opportunity — for physicians, pharmacists, payers and patients to work together and coordinate the real impact of the drugs being prescribed. PharmMD does this.”

A recognized healthcare business leader and a pharmacist by training, McWhorter’s support of PharmMD is both personal and professional. The company’s mission was founded on a promise McWhorter made to his brother Fred, who was also a pharmacist, just prior to his brother’s death.

“Fred knew that better coordination of medications would lead to better outcomes for the patient and, in turn, for the employer. We’ve taken his insights and clinical attention to detail from the local pharmacy setting and applied them in a technological format accessible to providers across the country.”

Ingram Industries Inc., based in Nashville, is among PharmMD’s first clients.

“We are very attracted to the benefits of medication therapy management: containing costs, reducing absenteeism and helping guard against unintentional misuse or overdose,” says Ingram Industries Executive Vice President for Human Resources and Administration Dennis Delaney. “A healthier workforce is an obvious benefit to our associates and to our company. We are excited about partnering with PharmMD to improve the quality of care provided to our 5,000 associates at Ingram Industries.”

PharmMD is headquartered in Brentwood, Tenn. The Company’s web site can be accessed at http://www.pharmmd.com/.

PharmMD Solutions, LLC

CONTACT: Rosemary Plorin, +1-615-297-7766

Web site: http://www.pharmmd.com/