Medication Therapy Management (MTM) represents a partnership between the pharmacist, the patient, and other healthcare professionals designed to optimize therapeutic outcomes. The APhA MTM service model, with its five core elements, provides a structured framework for this vital practice. For PharmD students, mastering the MTM process is key to improving medication safety, enhancing patient care, and demonstrating the pharmacist’s value on the healthcare team.
1. Which of the following is considered one of the five core elements of the Medication Therapy Management (MTM) service model as defined by APhA?
- Prescription Dispensing
- Medication-Related Action Plan (MAP)
- Inventory Management
- Direct-to-Consumer Advertising
Answer: Medication-Related Action Plan (MAP)
2. A comprehensive medication review (CMR) is a key component of which core MTM element?
- Medication Therapy Review (MTR)
- Personal Medication Record (PMR)
- Intervention and/or Referral
- Documentation and Follow-up
Answer: Medication Therapy Review (MTR)
3. The document created during an MTM encounter that is intended for the patient to use as a personal reference and tool to share with all prescribers is the:
- Medication Action Plan (MAP)
- Physician Communication Document
- Reconciled Medication List (PML)
- Comprehensive Medication Review (CMR)
Answer: Reconciled Medication List (PML)
4. The Medication Action Plan (MAP) is a patient-centric document designed to:
- List all of the patient’s current medications
- Provide the patient with a “to-do list” to assist in self-management
- Document the pharmacist’s interventions for billing purposes
- Serve as a referral letter to another healthcare provider
Answer: Provide the patient with a “to-do list” to assist in self-management
5. Effective communication skills, including motivational interviewing, are essential during an MTM session to:
- Overcome communication barriers and influence changes in patient behavior
- Persuade the patient to purchase more over-the-counter products
- Complete the encounter as quickly as possible
- Document the patient’s insurance information
Answer: Overcome communication barriers and influence changes in patient behavior
6. One of the main purposes of documenting MTM services is to:
- Create a personal diary for the pharmacist
- Allow for evaluating patient progress, billing, and tracking clinical and financial outcomes
- Fulfill a marketing requirement for the pharmacy
- Generate a list of non-adherent patients to discharge from the practice
Answer: Allow for evaluating patient progress, billing, and tracking clinical and financial outcomes
7. A SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) is a tool used in which aspect of implementing MTM services?
- Conducting a comprehensive medication review
- Creating a medication action plan
- Developing a business plan for new services
- Interviewing a patient
Answer: Developing a business plan for new services
8. The APhA Certificate Program for MTM includes which of the following components?
- A four-module online self-paced curriculum and a live seminar portion
- A final exam on sterile compounding
- A requirement to work in a hospital for six months
- A course on pharmacy law exclusively
Answer: A four-module online self-paced curriculum and a live seminar portion
9. Identifying medication-related problems is a central task of the MTM process. An example of a medication-related problem is:
- The patient prefers tablets over capsules
- The patient’s dose is too low to be effective
- The patient’s copay is $5
- The pharmacy is out of stock of the medication
Answer: The patient’s dose is too low to be effective
10. After identifying medication-related problems, the pharmacist collaborates with the patient to create a plan for:
- Increasing the number of medications the patient takes
- Patient follow-up for continuity of care and safety
- Referring the patient to a different pharmacy
- Ensuring the patient only uses brand-name drugs
Answer: Patient follow-up for continuity of care and safety
11. The core element of “Intervention and/or Referral” involves the pharmacist:
- Dispensing the medication as written without question
- Contacting the prescriber to resolve a drug therapy problem
- Referring the patient to a social media influencer for medical advice
- Only providing a referral if the patient specifically asks for one
Answer: Contacting the prescriber to resolve a drug therapy problem
12. To receive the full APhA certificate, students may be required to complete what experiential requirement after the coursework?
- Conduct additional medication therapy reviews (MTR/CMR) during APPEs
- Publish a research paper on MTM
- Develop a new billing code for MTM services
- Create a marketing video for their pharmacy
Answer: Conduct additional medication therapy reviews (MTR/CMR) during APPEs
13. Which of the following represents a “humanistic” outcome that can be tracked for an MTM service?
- Reduction in A1c levels
- Number of hospitalizations avoided
- Improvement in the patient’s health-related quality of life
- Cost savings per patient per year
Answer: Improvement in the patient’s health-related quality of life
14. A significant barrier to the widespread implementation of MTM services in various practice settings is:
- Lack of evidence showing its effectiveness
- Pharmacists’ unwillingness to speak with patients
- Proposed solutions that are too expensive
- Lack of adequate compensation and time
Answer: Lack of adequate compensation and time
15. A key difference between a targeted medication review (TMR) and a comprehensive medication review (CMR) is that a TMR:
- Is more time-consuming and covers all of a patient’s medications
- Focuses on a specific, actual, or potential medication-related problem
- Is only performed for new patients
- Must be conducted in the patient’s home
Answer: Focuses on a specific, actual, or potential medication-related problem
16. Which of the following is an example of a “clinical” outcome tracked as a result of MTM services?
- Patient satisfaction score
- Decrease in blood pressure to goal
- Cost of medications per month
- Number of MTM encounters billed
Answer: Decrease in blood pressure to goal
17. The development of quality measures for MTM services is important because it:
- Helps to standardize and demonstrate the value of MTM on patient care
- Makes the MTM process more complicated and less efficient
- Is a requirement for pharmacy licensure
- Allows pharmacies to charge higher prices for dispensing
Answer: Helps to standardize and demonstrate the value of MTM on patient care
18. Identifying potential payers is a key part of an MTM business plan. The largest payer for MTM services in the U.S. is:
- Self-paying cash patients
- Private commercial insurance plans
- Medicare Part D plans
- State-funded grant programs
Answer: Medicare Part D plans
19. A pharmacist providing MTM services to a patient from a different cultural background must be able to:
- Impose their own beliefs on the patient
- Ignore the patient’s cultural beliefs about health and medicine
- Provide culturally competent care that respects the patient’s values
- Insist on only speaking to a family member instead of the patient
Answer: Provide culturally competent care that respects the patient’s values
20. A needs assessment for an MTM service involves evaluating the:
- Local patient population to identify unmet needs and potential service opportunities
- Pharmacy’s inventory of over-the-counter products
- Number of competitors in the area only
- Color scheme of the pharmacy’s logo
Answer: Local patient population to identify unmet needs and potential service opportunities
21. The “physician communication document” created as part of an MTM encounter is intended to:
- Be a formal complaint against the physician
- Summarize the pharmacist’s findings and recommendations for the prescriber
- Be given only to the patient
- Replace the need for a patient to see their physician
Answer: Summarize the pharmacist’s findings and recommendations for the prescriber
22. Which of the following is NOT one of the five core elements of MTM?
- Personal Medication Record (PMR)
- Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM)
- Medication-Related Action Plan (MAP)
- Documentation and Follow-up
Answer: Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM)
23. The MTM process is designed to be:
- A one-time interaction with no follow-up
- A continuous process of patient care
- A service only for patients taking one medication
- Performed without speaking to the patient
Answer: A continuous process of patient care
24. What is the pharmacist’s primary goal during a Comprehensive Medication Review (CMR)?
- To dispense the patient’s refills for the month
- To collect a complete medication history and identify all potential medication therapy problems
- To sell the patient a blood pressure monitor
- To complete the review in under five minutes
Answer: To collect a complete medication history and identify all potential medication therapy problems
25. An “economic” outcome of an MTM service could be:
- Decreased hospital admission rates
- Reduced emergency department visits
- Lower overall healthcare costs
- All of the above
Answer: All of the above
26. The “S” in a SOAP note, a common format for documenting MTM encounters, stands for:
- Summary
- Subjective
- Systemic
- Solution
Answer: Subjective
27. An emerging opportunity for delivering MTM services includes:
- Integration with telehealth platforms
- Focusing only on in-person visits
- Limiting services to only Medicare patients
- Reducing the scope of pharmacist involvement
Answer: Integration with telehealth platforms
28. Prioritizing medication-related problems is a crucial step in MTM. Which problem should generally be addressed first?
- A minor, temporary side effect
- A problem that could cause immediate and significant harm to the patient
- A patient’s preference for a different color tablet
- A medication that is slightly more expensive than an alternative
Answer: A problem that could cause immediate and significant harm to the patient
29. To successfully implement an MTM service, a pharmacy must:
- Have an efficient workflow and properly trained staff
- Be open 24 hours a day
- Have a large front-end store
- Be located next to a hospital
Answer: Have an efficient workflow and properly trained staff
30. The Personal Medication List (PML) provided to the patient should include:
- Only their prescription medications
- Only their over-the-counter medications
- All of their medications, including prescriptions, OTCs, herbals, and supplements
- Only the medications that have adherence issues
Answer: All of their medications, including prescriptions, OTCs, herbals, and supplements
31. The APhA MTM program emphasizes a ________-centric approach to care.
- pharmacist
- physician
- payer
- patient
Answer: patient
32. The “assessment” part of the MTM encounter involves:
- Taking the patient’s vital signs only
- Analyzing the information collected to identify drug therapy problems
- Looking up the price of each medication
- Scheduling a follow-up appointment
Answer: Analyzing the information collected to identify drug therapy problems
33. What is a key strategy for marketing an MTM service to local prescribers?
- Sending them spam emails daily
- Demonstrating how the service can improve patient outcomes and support their practice
- Offering them a financial kickback for referrals
- Criticizing their prescribing habits publicly
Answer: Demonstrating how the service can improve patient outcomes and support their practice
34. A pharmacist must be able to assess safe and effective medication usage during a CMR. This includes checking for:
- Therapeutic duplication
- Untreated indications
- Drug interactions
- All of the above
Answer: All of the above
35. A patient’s MAP should be written in a way that is:
- Full of complex medical jargon
- Clear, concise, and easy for the patient to understand
- Vague and open to interpretation
- Only understandable by another healthcare professional
Answer: Clear, concise, and easy for the patient to understand
36. A key component of the MTM “follow-up” is to:
- Ensure the patient never returns to the pharmacy
- Assess patient progress towards the goals outlined in the MAP
- Bill the patient for additional services
- See if the patient has new insurance
Answer: Assess patient progress towards the goals outlined in the MAP
37. Which of the following is NOT an objective of MTM?
- To improve patient adherence
- To reduce the risk of adverse drug events
- To increase the number of unnecessary medications a patient takes
- To enhance patient understanding of their medications
Answer: To increase the number of unnecessary medications a patient takes
38. The MTM service model is grounded in the philosophy of:
- Pharmacists as dispensers of products
- Pharmacists as providers of collaborative patient care services
- Patients managing their health without any professional help
- Physicians managing all aspects of medication use
Answer: Pharmacists as providers of collaborative patient care services
39. The information-gathering stage of the MTM encounter is critical. A pharmacist should use what kind of questions to elicit information?
- A mix of open-ended and closed-ended questions
- Only leading questions that suggest a specific answer
- Only questions that can be answered with “yes” or “no”
- Only questions related to the cost of the medication
Answer: A mix of open-ended and closed-ended questions
40. The APhA MTM materials provide a foundation for what type of pharmacy practice?
- Nuclear pharmacy
- A practice focused on providing patient-centered care and medication management
- A practice focused on drug manufacturing
- A mail-order pharmacy that has no patient contact
Answer: A practice focused on providing patient-centered care and medication management
41. An example of a “Weakness” in a SWOT analysis for a new MTM service could be:
- A large population of elderly patients with polypharmacy in the area
- Lack of a private space for consultations
- New state laws that expand pharmacist scope of practice
- The pharmacist has advanced training in geriatrics
Answer: Lack of a private space for consultations
42. The Medication Action Plan (MAP) empowers the patient by:
- Making all decisions for them
- Providing actionable steps that the patient can take to achieve their health goals
- Listing all of the things the patient is doing wrong
- Being a complex document that only a doctor can interpret
Answer: Providing actionable steps that the patient can take to achieve their health goals
43. The “follow-up” element of MTM can be conducted via:
- A face-to-face visit
- A telephone call
- A telehealth appointment
- Any of the above
Answer: Any of the above
44. A pharmacist identifies that a patient is not taking their blood pressure medication due to cost. This is an example of what?
- A medication therapy problem
- A successful clinical outcome
- A positive humanistic outcome
- A properly executed referral
Answer: A medication therapy problem
45. One of the main goals of creating a reconciled Personal Medication List (PML) is to:
- Provide a single, accurate list of all medications to be shared among all providers
- Fulfill a legal requirement for dispensing
- Create a document for the pharmacist’s use only
- Determine the patient’s copayment amounts
Answer: Provide a single, accurate list of all medications to be shared among all providers
46. When considering special populations for MTM, a pharmacist must be aware of:
- Unique pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic considerations
- The fact that all patients are the same
- Only the cost of their medications
- The patient’s favorite color
Answer: Unique pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic considerations
47. The “live seminar” portion of the APhA MTM certificate program is designed to be:
- A self-study reading assignment
- A lecture with no interaction
- An active learning session involving case studies and practice
- A final, high-stakes examination
Answer: An active learning session involving case studies and practice
48. Why is it important to ask about over-the-counter and herbal products during a CMR?
- They have no potential to cause side effects or interact with prescription drugs
- They can cause significant drug interactions and contribute to medication-related problems
- To recommend that the patient stop all of them immediately
- It is not important to ask about these products
Answer: They can cause significant drug interactions and contribute to medication-related problems
49. The overall philosophy of MTM is to move the pharmacy profession from a product-focus to a __________-focus.
- sales
- physician
- patient
- business
Answer: patient
50. To be successful in providing MTM, a pharmacist must be committed to:
- Lifelong learning and continuous professional development
- Working in isolation from other healthcare providers
- The belief that patients cannot manage their own health
- A dispensing-only model of pharmacy practice
Answer: Lifelong learning and continuous professional development
I am a Registered Pharmacist under the Pharmacy Act, 1948, and the founder of PharmacyFreak.com. I hold a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Rungta College of Pharmaceutical Science and Research. With a strong academic foundation and practical knowledge, I am committed to providing accurate, easy-to-understand content to support pharmacy students and professionals. My aim is to make complex pharmaceutical concepts accessible and useful for real-world application.
Mail- Sachin@pharmacyfreak.com