Drug Topics - October 8, 2007 - (Page 22)

22 DRUG TOPICS OCTOBER 8, 2007 www.drugtopics.com Cover Story DT CAPSULE mains largely intact. Spon- said Douglas Hoey, R.Ph., senior VP and COO of the sored by the American Med- National Community Pharmacists Association. PharAMA created an ical Association, Flexner’s re- macists are largely silent. “In today’s environment, you he effective professional port supported the scientific cannot stand by if you want to survive,” our said. “All supremacy of allopathic med- 200,000 of us need to be connecting with represenicine and created uniform ed- tatives in Washington and every state capital. Lack of inand political market- ucational standards for med- volvement in politics, the media, and public events is a historic stumbling block for pharmacists that other proing program nearly a ical education. “Pharmacists missed the fessions do not share.” century ago; pharmacy chance to push for their own The problem? Most pharmacists are employees, said future,” said Ojo, author of Thomas Hall, director of pharmacy at Missouri Bapassociations have Pharmacy in Bondage, an tist Medical Center in St. Louis. Staff pharmacists are examination of what he calls insulated by their steady, and steadily growing, paybarely begun the a topsy-turvy world where checks. “For a physician in a group practice or a solo physician assistants and practice, these legislative and regulatory issues affect resame task. nurse practitioners can pre- imbursement and income directly and personally,” he scribe, but Pharm.D.s cannot. “Pharmacy ended said. “Most pharmacists tend to be more removed up being classed with acupuncture, naturopathy, ho- from the direct impact of governmental and public meopathy, chiropractic, and other practices as being opinion shifts. They don’t see a personal need to speak nonscientific. It has taken us nearly 100 years to get up, so they don’t.” to MTM [medication therapy management], the That’s a bad decision, said Jillian Foster, pharmacy first legal recognition of our own specialty area, benefits manager at North Mississippi Medical Center pharmacotherapy.” in Tupelo. Every time pharmacy reimbursement is tightPharmacy’s poor performance is no surprise in hind- ened by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, sight, said Kristina Lunner, VP of government affairs state health departments, or private payers, pharmacy for the American Pharmacists Association. Pharmacy employers have to tighten their own operations. has not done a good job of communicating its value beThat affects employee pharmacist pay, hours, workyond pharmacy. “An eight-year-old can probably tell ing conditions, and job satisfaction. Pharmacists who you what a dentist or a firefighter does,” she said. don’t advocate for their profession by talking to patients, “Those groups have done a very good job of communi- friends, neighbors, community leaders, state pharmacy cating their value to the public. But you’re not going to board members, and legislators at all levels are inviting find many eight-year-olds who can tell you what a further losses. pharmacist does. Our core task is to make very clear “Pharmacists kick off the care process at our hospital,” how pharmacists help people.” Foster said. “They are out there taking histories and talkFor example, Lunner pointed to physicians and ing with patients. That is terribly important for patient nurses. “You see and feel the servsafety, but also for patient recogniices they provide,” she said. “Any tion of what pharmacists do. product component seems to be When the general public knows incidental to their primary role, what we do and how we keep which is providing expert clinical them safe, lawmakers and regulaservices. The way pharmacy is tors won’t be able to hide.” designed prevents patients from seeing the expert clinical services Into the trenches that pharmacists provide. What Pharmacy associations are urging patients see is a transaction and Telling and selling pharmacy’s story pharmacists to get more involved. a product. That makes pharma- are NACDS’ Steven Anderson (l.) and So is Foster, who spent a year as a cy an easy target when budgets FMI’s Tim Hammonds. legislative staffer in Washington, get tight.” D.C. “A constituent voice is very powerful,” she said. “Senators and representatives want to Step forward hear from real people. So do pharmacy boards and state Pharmacists themselves are another part of the problem. representatives. One voice really can make a difference.” Most healthcare professionals are vocal in support of But that voice must make sense to the listener. their profession, their role, and their reimbursement, “Pharmacists tend to believe that people understand http://www.drugtopics.com

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Drug Topics - October 8, 2007 Latebreakers Latebreakers in Depth Letters Rx Care Community Practice JP at Large 150 Years of American Pharmacy Hospital Practice Are You Getting Pharmacy's Message Across? Self-Care Government and Law Legal Q&A The Pharmacist as First Responder in Disaster Relief Technology Update New Products Advertisers Index Statement of Ownership Classified Viewpoint

Drug Topics - October 8, 2007

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