Recently, pharmacists from the U.S. Public Health Service submitted a report to the U.S. Surgeon General entitled “
Improving Patient and Health System Outcomes through Advanced Pharmacy Practice-A Report to the U.S. Surgeon General 2011.”
I applaud RADM Giberson and our Federal Pharmacy colleagues for their leadership in bringing forward this excellent report. The report provides a detailed and compelling case for the important role of pharmacists as care providers and supports the recognition of pharmacists as “providers”. The report is framed around four major focus areas:
1. How pharmacists are already integrated into primary care as health care providers;
2. Recognition as health care providers;
3. Compensation mechanisms; and
4. Evidence-based alignment with health reform
The report notes that
“…pharmacists may be the only health professionals (who manage disease through medications and provide other patient care services) who are not recognized in national health policy as health care providers or practitioners. Legislation, policy, and compensation mechanisms thus limit optimal patient outcomes and reduce the positive impact on the patient and the health care system.” It goes on to state that “…For pharmacists to continue to improve patient and health system outcomes as well as sustain various roles in the delivery of care, they must be recognized as health care providers by statute via legislation and policy, and be compensated through additional mechanisms commensurate with the level of services provided (and with other practitioners providing comparable services).”
ASHP has
already announced its support for the concepts outlined in the report.
Importantly, the report has also already received support from the
U.S. Surgeon General. Dr. Regina Benjamin notes that “The report demonstrates through evidence-based outcomes, that many expanded pharmacy practice models (implemented in collaboration with physicians or as part of a health team) improve patient and health system outcomes and optimize primary care access and delivery.” She further goes on to note that the report supports recognition of pharmacists as health care providers and a reexamination of compensation models and payment reform.
RADM Giberson has also published an editorial entitled: “
A Call to Action: Lead the Profession”. He implores PHS pharmacy to “…proactively lead for the profession…” and to work with other health care professionals and non-federal colleagues to share in this call to action.
We owe a debt of gratitude to RADM Giberson and his colleagues for taking this important step. Now it’s up to all of us. I hope that pharmacists will read this report and share it with administrators, health policy makers, legislators and others. It’s my hope that all of us as pharmacists read this report and respond to RADM Giberson’s call to action, both as individuals and through our professional organizations. What say you?
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