Pharmaceutical care practice management system

The management systems essential to a successful pharmaceutical care practice... 

The remainder of this chapter is designed to first briefly discuss the evidence supporting the benefits of pharmaceutical care and fhen presenf the essentials of creating a practice management system. An important part of building a new practice is convincing others (as well as oneself) fhaf pharmaceutical care improves clinical oufcomes and reduces health care expenditures. Therefore, when the time comes to sell the service to others, there will be no hesitation or embarrassment about the value and worth of this health care innovation. 

A practice management system is the organizational framework that supports the practice. A practice management system represents an orderly approach to developing a system that enables practitioners to provide pharmaceutical care. A practice management system contains four elements (1) a clear description of the service provided, (2) a list of resources required to deliver the service, (3) a practice evaluation process, and (4) a revenue stream. 

Pharmaceutical care is very different from other cognitive patient care services such as clinical pharmacy and disease state management programs. It is not a separate service that is superimposed on an existing practice but a comprehensive professional practice much like medicine and nursing. Consequently, it has a clearly defined philosophy of practice, patient care process, and practice management system. The remainder of this article describes the essential principles and processes involved in the practice of pharmaceutical care. 

American Association of Retired Persons American Health Care Association American Hospital Association American Medical Association American Nurses Association American Pharmaceutical Association American Society of Health-System Pharmaeists American Society for Healthcare Risk Management Department of Veterans Affairs Food and Drug Administration Generic Pharmaceutical Industry Association Institute for Safe Medication Practices... 

About the Author Dr. Mosavin is Chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science at Loma Linda University s School of Pharmacy. Dr. Mosavin received a B.S. in Pharmacy from the University of Kansas, a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Wisconsin—Madison, and an MBA from the University of Chicago. Dr. Mosavin has experience in pharmaceutical industry, hospital pharmacy, and ambulatory care pharmacy settings. His research interests encompass economic evaluation of health care delivery systems and the role of pharmacists in these systems (especially as it relates to management of chronic diseases by pharmacists). Another key area of his research is analysis of economic gains achieved by health information technology implementation in ambulatory care pharmacy practice. 

About the Author Dr. West is an Associate Professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Pharmacy. She received a B.S. in pharmacy and a Ph.D. in pharmacy administration from the University of Mississippi. She coordinates the community pharmacy management course and teaches pharmaceutical policy in the health care system. Dr. West serves as a pharmacy consultant for the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care and the Arkansas State Employee Insurance Group and is the faculty liaison for the National Community Pharmacists Association student chapter. Her research interests pertain to understanding provider and patient behavior to improve medication use and advance community practice. 

About the Authors Dr. Farmer is Associate Professor of Pharmacy Administration at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center College of Pharmacy. He received a B.S. in pharmacy and Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Dr. Farmer has experience in retail and hospital pharmacy practice settings and marketing research in the pharmaceutical industry. He teaches courses in U.S. health care systems and policy, financial management, and pharmaceutical marketing. Dr. Farmer s research is focused on issues related to medication adherence and health and economic consequences of health and medication health care policies. 

The federal government has experimented with various models of pharmacist prescribing.The VA and the IHS appear to have the most liberal policies toward pharmacist prescribing.In the VA, clinical pharmacy specialists are required to have an advanced degree or have completed an accredited residency (e.g., an American Society of Health Systems Pharmacy, ASHP, accredited residency) or specialty board certification (e.g., a Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties, BPS, certification) before they may prescribe medications within their scope of practice. The scope of practice is established within the local VA facility. Once this criterion is satisfied, the clinical pharmacy specialist may function as an independent health care provider. In the IHS, pharmacists can be credentialed to provide primary care and use their prescriptive authority to evaluate and manage the care of certain patients. 

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