Curated News
By: NewsRamp Editorial Staff
September 15, 2026
DecisionRx Study: Pharmacist-Led Program Cuts Medicare ACO Costs by 31.9%
TLDR
- DecisionRx MTO program cut Medicare ACO medical costs by 31.9%, giving adopters a major edge in value-based care savings.
- DecisionRx uses pharmacogenomic testing and pharmacist review to optimize medications, reducing costs by 31.9% after nine months in Medicare ACO patients.
- DecisionRx program reduces medication failures and hospital visits, making healthcare safer and more effective for Medicare beneficiaries.
- A cheek swab test can reveal how you metabolize over 200 medications, helping pharmacists tailor treatments and reduce costs.
Impact - Why it Matters
This news matters because it demonstrates a tangible, scalable solution to one of the most persistent challenges in healthcare: the high cost of medication failure. With medication-related problems driving unnecessary emergency visits, hospitalizations, and spending among Medicare beneficiaries, DecisionRx's MTO program offers a proven method to reduce costs while improving care. The study's strong statistical significance and dose-response pattern suggest that integrating clinical pharmacists and pharmacogenomic testing into value-based care models could lead to substantial savings for payers and better outcomes for patients. As healthcare systems increasingly seek ways to optimize spending without compromising quality, this evidence supports broader adoption of pharmacist-led medication optimization.
Summary
A new study of Medicare Accountable Care Organization (ACO) beneficiaries provides compelling evidence that pharmacist-led medication optimization can significantly reduce healthcare costs. Conducted by researchers at DecisionRx, Inc. in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the study found that participation in DecisionRx's Medication Therapy Optimization (MTO) program was associated with a 19.4% reduction in total medical costs ($246 per member per month; p < 0.001) compared to matched controls. The savings grew to 31.9% ($462 per member per month) after nine months of program exposure, with cost reductions concentrated in acute and facility-based care.
The research, published online August 26, 2026, in Health Affairs Scholar, analyzed 1,003 treated patients and 14,031 matched controls over 334,531 member-months between October 2022 and September 2025. The MTO program combines data science, pharmacogenomic testing via a simple at-home cheek swab, and comprehensive review by clinical pharmacists. Results showed 43.1% fewer inpatient admissions, 41.3% fewer emergency department visits, and 28.3% fewer outpatient visits. Notably, 91% of enrolled patients received at least one actionable pharmacist recommendation, and 53% had lower polypharmacy risk after one year. Approximately one-third of recommendations were informed by pharmacogenomic risk, while two-thirds addressed other medication-failure risks such as drug-drug interactions and therapeutic duplication.
"The most expensive medications are the ones that don’t work," said Travis Morgan, President and Co-founder of DecisionRx. The study's findings, available here, highlight the potential of DecisionRx's approach to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs. For more information, visit https://decisionrx.com/.
Source Statement
This curated news summary relied on content distributed by NewMediaWire. Read the original source here, DecisionRx Study: Pharmacist-Led Program Cuts Medicare ACO Costs by 31.9%
