A graduate of St. John’s University in New York, Ellen Scharaga possesses an extensive background in pharmaceuticals and serves as an operational consultant with Alegria Specialty Infusion and Pain Pharmacy. Ellen Scharaga maintains membership in related professional groups, such as the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP).
AMCP recently published the results of a survey that highlights perceptions of Medicare’s Standardized Format (SF) among Medicare beneficiaries. SF is the way medication therapy management summaries are delivered to Part D recipients.
According to the survey, fewer than 50 percent of Part D recipients rated the SF as either very good or excellent, meaning more than half believe there is room for improvement in the format. One of the major criticisms of the SF is its incompatibility with existing electronic medical record (EMR) systems and the fact that the SF is not portable.
The survey didn’t come to any conclusions about how the SF should be laid out, but most respondents said it should be more EMR-friendly and available in portable formats, such as wallet cards.
