Marypat Habermas serves as a Medication Therapy Management (MTM) pharmacist for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. We caught up with Marypat to discuss her role, how MTM helps patients, and why she’s passionate about serving members.

thrive.: Tell us about your role as a Blue Cross MTM pharmacist.
Marypat Habermas: As an MTM pharmacist, my primary goal is to make sure that all of the medications a patient is taking are indicated for conditions that they have, that the medications are effective at treating those conditions, that we’re minimizing any side effects or drug interactions, and that the patient is able to take them as they’ve been prescribed.

thrive.: How does MTM help patients?
Marypat: We help patients get the safest medications, the most effective medications, and the most affordable medications. Generally, I’ll have about an hour-long conversation with a patient and we’ll walk through all of their conditions, all of the medications they’re taking, including overthe- counter or supplemental drugs, and then we’ll develop a treatment plan. With the patient’s permission, I’ll send any medication recommendations to their doctor, so the patient and the doctor can make an informed decision about treatment options.

thrive.: Who is eligible for MTM?
Marypat: Any member who has Blue Cross Medicare Part D is eligible, and is available to them at no additional cost.

thrive.: How does a member get MTM?
Marypat: If a member is interested, they can call 651-662-5105 or we do have a toll-free number, 1-866-873-5941. A Blue Cross representative would first make sure that they’re eligible for the benefit and as soon as we learn that they’re eligible, we’ll schedule a call with the pharmacist.

thrive.: What makes you passionate about serving Blue Cross members?
Marypat: I love my job because when I talk to these members we can really make a huge impact in their life. Getting people on the right medicines at the right time, minimizing side effects, and getting rid of medications that might be causing problems is really rewarding.