Pharmacist Scope of Practice

TO THE EDITOR:

The position paper on pharmacist scope of practice (1) represents a triumph that pharmacists as a profession have been striving toward for some time. One of the largest obstacles we have been attempting to overcome is lack of understanding about the training pharmacists receive, as well as their capabilities. Pharmacists are now graduating from 6-year programs with doctor of pharmacy degrees, and they all share a desire to provide pharmaceutical care. The position paper supports our vision of how such care should be provided. Throughout the United States, retail pharmacies and hospitals are acknowledging the desire as well as the need for pharmaceutical care by providing private consultation rooms in the pharmacy department. These rooms are an ideal environment for one-on-one interaction between pharmacist and patient. In some parts of the country, third-party payers reimburse pharmacists for these counseling services; however, most programs use a fee-for-service system. Pharmaceutical care is optimal only when there is collaboration between pharmacists and other health care providers, specifically physicians. I would like to be the first to offer thanks for this position paper and the first to pledge my efforts to improve the care that pharmacists give to patients.