Building capacity for pharmacist-provided patient care services

Abstract

Pharmacy has been afforded many opportunities through the advent of the Medicare Modernization Act, medication therapy management (MTM) services, and, more recently, passage of the Affordable Care Act, leading critics and supporters to question whether capacity exists to support provision of direct patient care services by pharmacists, primarily in the community setting. 1. American Pharmacists Association, National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation. Medication therapy management in pharmacy practice: core elements of an MTM service (version 2.0). J Am Pharm Assoc. 2008; 48: 341-353 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (278) Google Scholar , 2. Boyle C.J. Love R.C. Moczygemba L.R. Health care reform legislation: momentous implications for shaping pharmacy's future. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2010; 50: 338-432 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (2) Google Scholar , 3. Thompson C.A. New health care laws will bring changes for pharmacists. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2010; 67: 690-695 Google Scholar Although research has shown that community pharmacists possess the clinical competency to provide MTM services, 4. Laaksonen R. Duggan C. Bates I. Performance of community pharmacists in providing clinical medication reviews. Ann Pharmacother. 2010; 44: 1181-1190 Crossref PubMed Scopus (29) Google Scholar many community pharmacists yearning to engage in direct patient care services lack the time and training needed to develop them. 5. Kassam R. Farris K.B. Cox C.E. Tools used to help community pharmacists implement comprehensive pharmaceutical care. J Am Pharm Assoc. 1999; 39: 843-856 Abstract Full Text PDF Google Scholar , 6. O'Loughlin J. Masson P. Dery V. Fagnan D. The role of community pharmacists in health education and disease prevention: a survey of their interests and needs in relation to cardiovascular disease. Prev Med. 1999; 28: 324-331 Crossref PubMed Scopus (99) Google Scholar