Medication Management: Integrating the Pharmacist as the Champion
Originally published in The Pharmacy Times
I have worked in the pharmaceutical industry for more than 20 years. At my core, I am a pharmacist by training, and have long had a passion for exploring ways to integrate pharmacy practice into care teams with a goal of improving outcomes and lowering the total cost of care.
For me, this quest began in the mid-1990s working in state government affairs for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in the Pacific Northwest on pharmaceutical care initiatives with local pharmacy associations and schools of pharmacy. As I moved into the US Public Policy group at GSK, my role transitioned to educating policy makers on the results and benefits of the Asheville Project (www.nbch.org/The-Asheville-Project-Case-Study) and eventually, to support a collaboration with the American Pharmacists Association Foundation to replicate the Asheville model through the Diabetes Ten City Challenge.
We haven’t been alone at GSK. Many leaders in the profession have worked tirelessly to elevate pharmacy practice as part of care coordination models. But challenges to date around payment for services, scope of practice, and a lack of technology needed to implement effective comprehensive medication management solutions have slowed the progress. However, to use an old cliché, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Today, the movement toward a value-based health care system in the United States represents an incredible opportunity for pharmacists, and most of all, for patients.
