Medication Use Outcomes Research Program (MUORP)

Accomplishments in this area include the development of computer technology useful in measuring inappropriate medication use in Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and affecting the measurement of quality, shaping the national review of Medicare formularies to ensure fair treatment and coverage for end stage renal disease patients, and a relationship with the Mississippi Division of Medicaid that enables research useful in shaping the state's Medicaid benefit. Given the powerful link between medication use and health outcomes, research and initiatives in this area stand to improve benefit design and utilization for Mississippi Medicaid beneficiaries and Medicare recipients and to improve the use of pharmaceuticals to minimize adverse health outcomes. This area has the potential to directly effect healthcare spending in Mississippi and the nation.

Pharmacy Entrepreneurship Program (PEP)

Pharmacies are an important small business in the state of Mississippi and are critical to the access and provision of healthcare. Accomplishments of the PEP program include research to understand innovation in today's pharmacy practice and research to understand the development of new healthcare services. It also includes initiatives to assist community pharmacies in adapting to today's environment by providing advice to individuals who are struggling to remain viable. These projects and initiatives are beneficial to small businesses that are essential to providing healthcare in the state and in the nation. For example, a recent Center report indicates that the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA)and other environmental forces are threatening the viability of many of these small businesses. This program stands to enhance the viability of community pharmacies in Mississippi and the nation.

Pharmaceutical Marketing Research Program (PMRP)

Accomplishments in the PMRP include research to understand pharmaceutical companies' practices and how they affect utilization of medications - examples of this can be seen in direct-to-consumer advertising and strategies to affect physician prescribing. This program has conducted research to investigate medication use, patterns in various populations, test various marketing strategies, and measures the influence various factors have on the prescribing of pharmaceuticals. The Pharmaceutical Marketing Research Program has also conducted analyses of new drugs to evaluate their commercial viability - including compounds being developed at the National Center for Natural Products Research located at the University of Mississippi campus. The true potential for this program lies in developing strategies to affect appropriate marketing and prescribing of pharmaceuticals. As a result, this program area has the potential to enhance utilization of cost-saving and appropriate medications in Mississippi and the nation.