Problem-based Learning Using the Online Medicare Part D Plan Finder Tool

Abstract

Objectives. To implement didactic and problem-based learning curricular innovations aimed at increasing students' knowledge of Medicare Part D, improving their ability to apply the online Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder tool to a patient case, and improving their attitudes toward patient advocacy for Medicare beneficiaries. Methods. A survey instrument and a case-based online Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder tool exercise were administered to a single group (n 5 120) of second-year pharmacy graduate students prior to and following completion of a course on health policy. Three domains (knowledge, skill mastery and attitudes) were measured before and after two 90-minute lectures on Medicare Part D.Results. The online Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder exercise and Medicare Part D didactic lectures had positive effects on students' knowledge of Part D, attitudes toward patient advocacy, and ability to accurately use the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder tool. Conclusions. The success of these didactic and problem-based curricular innovations in improving pharmacy students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding Part D warrants further evaluation to determine their portability to clinical settings and other pharmacy schools.

Impact of an Elective Course on Pharmacy Students’ Attitudes, Beliefs, and Competency Regarding Medicare Part D

“…18 Another study found that pharmacy students who learned about Part D in the classroom setting better understood the complexities of the benefit and empathized with beneficiaries regarding the challenges it poses. 19 In addition to assisting beneficiaries with the Part D benefit, pharmacists are ideally positioned to provide invaluable services in the area of MTM and vaccinations, including improved economic and health outcomes for patients through pharmacist-led MTM efforts.…”

Implementation of a Medicare Plan Selection Assistance Program Through a Community Partnership

“…This will allow for targeted educational efforts to improve student selfefficacy, equipping students with the skills, confidence, and motivation needed to help Medicare beneficiaries in their communities after they graduate and become practicing pharmacists. Additionally, this program differs from many others 3,8,20 in that it combines coursework with community outreach and it is offered in partnership with the Alabama SHIP to increase its legitimacy. As seen in students' reflection comments, experiential education through community outreach helped prepare future pharmacists for real-world practice and increased their confidence and willingness to assist Medicare patients via realization of beneficiary cost-savings.…”

“…Consistent with previous studies, and keeping in mind a possible floor effect from our evaluation scale, student confidence in knowledge and ability to provide services to Medicare beneficiaries increased after completion of the program. 3,20,26 Although students' pre-program knowledge was not assessed, self-reported changes in knowledge immediately post-program ensured that the experience remained timely and relevant. Future evaluation of student learning may focus on self-efficacy pre and post-program, utilizing a more nuanced scale to determine levels of change than used here.…”

“…Guidance from trained pharmacy students able to identify appropriate plans using the Medicare Plan Finder Tool is shown to realize costsavings for Medicare beneficiaries; 8 however, previous research has shown that less than half (47%) of secondyear pharmacy students are able to identify appropriate Medicare Part D plans. 3,20 Furthermore, students are hesitant to initiate counseling with Medicare beneficiaries, even though they believe that patients would accept such services from pharmacists. 21 Because didactic and experiential learning can have a positive impact on students' confidence and readiness to provide services, 3,22 there is a need to create a service learning program to prepare future pharmacists to effectively assist Medicare beneficiaries.…”

Medicare Part D Community Outreach Train-the-Trainer Program for Pharmacy Faculty

“…The outreach curriculum, which has been described elsewhere, improves pharmacy student knowledge, skill mastery, and confidence in performing Part D outreach. 5 Early success with the program, coupled with interest from other schools of pharmacy in California, led to the development of a faculty training program with the goal of promoting broad-scale dissemination using a train-the-trainer approach. 5 Here we present evaluation data from our initial statewide faculty train-the-trainer program for the Part D community outreach component of the Partners in D program.…”