Health care policy development

Health care policy in the U.S. is sure to change over the next century. Individual pharmacists and those in positions of leadership have the opportunity to participate in formulating the emerging health care policies and developing initiatives to enhance the profession. It is up to pharmacists, as members of the health care team, to ensure that these changes lead to improved quality of care for Americans. 

Despite the growing evidence supporting the critical care pharmacist s contribution to patient care, many ICUs have not taken full advantage of this vital resource.A description of pharmacy services and pharmacist activities in a critical care setting will assist practitioners and administrators in establishing or advancing these specialized pharmacy services. This article may be used to educate other health care providers, administrators, and developers of health care policy on the role of pharmacists and pharmacy services in the care of the critically ill. Furthermore, the application of the elements in this article will allow researchers to further document the effect of critical care pharmacy services on improving patient outcomes. 

Heart failure evaluation and care of patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (under development). 

VRE) may colonize hospitalized patients or patients who access the health care system frequently. It is key to know which patients have acquired these organisms because patients generally become colonized prior to developing infection, and colonized patients should be placed in isolation (per infection-control policies) to minimize transmission to other patients. 

Policy Integrate TM/CAM with national health care systems, as appropriate, by developing and implementing national TM/CAM policies and programs... 

If the market power inherent in the decisions of patients is to be more effectively harnessed in the control of health care costs, then it becomes essential that patients, as well as their physicians, are better informed than they now are about the relative costs and benefits of rival products with the same therapeutic target, in short, on their relative cost effectiveness. The development of such an information base will be another major challenge of health policy makers in the coming decades. 

The literal interpretation of a societal approach instructs health care decision makers to pay attention to the effect of current reimbursement policies on the development of new products. Too high a price, and there is too much of a good thing - too many beneficial new products. Too low a price, and the bonanza may dry up, with harm to health, to investment, and to employment. 

The discovery of new medicines and their introduction into the market will not optimally have positive impacts on health if the needed essential medicines are not available and affordable, if they are not of good quality and if they are not properly utilized by the health care providers and consumers. This chapter will highlight the issues related to commonly occurring problems in the area of medicines in developing countries, and relevant policies and programme to deal with them. In particular, the chapter will highlight the problems of access to... 

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