Medication Program Aims to Eliminate Confusion for Staff, Faculty

Do you have questions or want more information about your medications?  Do you have the University of Pittsburgh’s UPMC Health Plan?  If the answer to both of these questions is yes, then you are in luck!  A unique perk for you is the Comprehensive Medication Management (CMM) program. 

Schedule a private appointment to meet with a pharmacist on campus or by phone to discuss your prescribed and over-the-counter (OTC) medications, vitamins, and herbal supplements along with any potential side effects and interactions with other drugs. Of note, the pharmacist can also help to reduce medication costs and suggest alternatives if a given drug therapy isn’t working well. The CMM program also provides focused attention on personalizing your plans for:

  • Quitting smoking or using tobacco
  • Obtaining pre-travel medications and immunizations
  • Diabetes prevention for those with pre-diabetes

The CMM program aims to assure you are confident about how and why you take your medications. In its second year, the CMM program is proving to be successful and resourceful for Pitt staff and faculty members:

“I have a chronic illness and a family history of heart disease. I don’t take a lot of medications, but I do take a couple that are known to have potential side effects. I really wanted another set of eyes to look over my medications, as well as supplements that I take, and provide me with some information about how these things could potentially interact with familial disposition for heart disease. [CMM staff] did a great job of asking me what type of information I was looking for (I like to know about the research studies) and then ensuring that the information they found was applicable to me (gender, race, age, etc.). I felt much more comfortable with my prescriptions and their long-term side effects because I was given such great information. It is such an incredibly valuable resource to have here at the University, and we are lucky to have it!” – Pitt employee, on the CMM program

The Comprehensive Medication Management program is offered at no-cost to all full-time and part-time regular University faculty and staff with UPMC Health Plan coverage. Appointments can be held on the Pittsburgh campus in the Medical Arts Building, at a location of your choice, or by phone Mondays and Thursdays between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. To schedule an appointment with a pharmacist, call 412-383-MEDS (6337) or email mymeds@pitt.edu.

The CMM program is a collaborative effort between the Office of Human Resources’ Benefits Department and the School of Pharmacy. To learn more about this and other benefits, visit www.hr.pitt.edu/benefits.