Medicare Part D and the Nursing Home Setting

PURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to explore how the introduction of Medicare Part D is changing the operations of long-term-care pharmacies (LTCPs) and nursing homes, as well as implications of those changes for nursing home residents. DESIGN AND METHODS: We reviewed existing sources of information and interviewed stakeholders across various perspectives. We conducted 31 semistructured telephone interviews with key stakeholders between November 2006 and January 2007. RESULTS: Part D represents a substantial departure from how prescription drugs were previously financed and administered in nursing homes, and nursing home providers and LTCPs have struggled in adapting to some of these changes. Part D increased the variation around formularies and drug management processes for residents at the facility level, creating additional burden on clinical and pharmacy staff and introducing a tension between facilities' need to dispense medications quickly and assuring of coverage for those drugs. Nursing home and LTCP stakeholders perceive wide variation across Part D plans in their ability to meet the needs of nursing home residents. IMPLICATIONS: Although LTCPs, nursing homes and their clinicians, and Part D plans will gain experience with the benefit in the nursing home setting over time, stakeholders we interviewed identified a range of longer term issues and questions that merit attention as the benefit proceeds. PMC ID: PMC2538577 (August 2008)