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US Pharm. 2012;37(12):1.
It’s been nearly 2 months since
President Obama was reelected. As if a magic wand were waved across
America, the incessant political TV and radio ads have suddenly
stopped. For the first time in what seems like forever, I am receiving
more first-class mail than political propaganda at home. The
“robocalls” have also ceased, and those eye-catching but tacky
political signs that seemed to be stuck into any spot that grows grass
have disappeared from local highways and front lawns. Relative
political peace and quiet has returned to our country. It’s over…now
what?
Wouldn’t it be nice to have that same
magic wand instantly wipe out all the problems that gripped this
country before the election? But, of course, no such magical power
exists, and for most of us it is back to our daily routines of
confronting the problems of everyday life, especially for pharmacists,
who, like most health care professionals, face uncertainty about the
future of their profession. Apart from the weakened economy and ongoing
struggle with jobs creation, one of the biggest issues continues to be
the cost and value of health care for millions of Americans. I am sure
all the pharmacists who voted in this year’s presidential election went
to the polls asking themselves how their vote would impact their
professional lives.
It seems likely now that while the
Affordability Care Act (ACA) may undergo some changes as it evolves, it
is likely to be the new standard of health care in this country for
some time to come, if not forever. And while its virtues and pitfalls
will continue to be debated, I believe it will provide a means for
pharmacists to finally break away from their positions behind the
prescription counter and contribute to the health care community and
delivery system in a new and exciting way in front of the counter.
Pharmacists continue to be in the best
position to provide quality, instructive health care information to
patients by way of face-to-face consultations and discussions about
medication-therapy management. Today’s graduates are highly educated
professionals who are anxious to take on this new role, particularly in
the retail pharmacy setting. The ACA with its emphasis on wellness is
an opportunity for pharmacy employers, particularly the chains, to
change the way they operate their pharmacies, by entrusting the filling
of prescriptions to certified pharmacy technicians while licensed
pharmacists embark on their new roles as health care consultants.
The ACA and its opportunities aside,
pharmacy continues to face a plethora of unresolved issues. Most recent
is the challenge to define what “compounding” means and what role the
FDA should play in regulating the compounding of prescriptions, issues
that arose after an outbreak of meningitis in several states from a
so-called compounding pharmacy in New England. While one might conclude
that this outbreak was an isolated event, it unfortunately taints all
pharmacists who compound drugs that continue to be unavailable from
commercial sources. And that’s too bad, because as anyone who has
studied the history of pharmacy knows, the art of compounding was the
foundation on which modern pharmacy is built.
The list of other challenges is long and
includes, but is not limited to, more equitable third-party
reimbursements, drug shortages, the proliferation of counterfeit drugs,
pharmacy crime, unacceptable working conditions, and the increase in
doctor-shoppers.
So, what do we do now? I believe today’s
pharmacists are ready to face these challenges head-on if given the
opportunity. And while it will take a shift in the way pharmacy is
practiced today, there is no better time to make that adjustment than
now. There’s an old Chinese proverb I am fond of using to describe this
crossroads: “If we don’t change the direction we’re going, we’re likely
to end up where we are heading.”
To comment on this article, contact editor@uspharmacist.com.
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