Michigan Medicaid Recipients' Perceptions of Medication Counseling As Required by OBRA '90

Objective: To assess pharmacist counseling under OBRA '90 from the Medicaid recipient's perspective. Specifically, the study was designed to (1) assess pharmacists' compliance with counseling requirements, (2) assess recipients' level of satisfaction with the information provided during counseling and whether the information provided increased their comfort level in taking medication correctly, and (3) determine relationships between variables associated with pharmacist counseling and recipient satisfaction and comfort level.

Design: Cross-sectional telephone survey of Medicaid recipients. Medicaid recipient or caregiver was the unit of measure.

Setting: Michigan.

Patients: 408 recipients who received new prescriptions during a one-week period in November 1995.

Interventions: Telephone survey.

Main Outcome Measure: Recipients' perception of whether an offer to counsel was made.

Results: Only 104 (25.5%) recipients indicated that someone offered counseling for their new prescription, and only 62 (15.2%) recipients indicated they knew of the requirement; 163 (40.0%) indicated someone offered counseled them. Counseled recipients were satisfied with the amount, quality, and way the information was presented, and were more likely to assign a higher level of importance to pharmacist counseling. The majority of respondents indicated high levels of comfort in using their medications safely, with those who were counseled expressing a higher level of comfort.

Conclusion: From the perspective of the Medicaid recipient, pharmacies are failing to offer counseling for most new prescriptions. The results indicate that counseling improves measures of recipient comfort in using medications safely and enhances the level of importance patients assign to pharmacist counseling.