In a letter released from Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA, U.S. Surgeon General, she states, "This report provides the evidence health leaders and policy makers need to support evidence-based models of cost effective patient care that utilizes the expertise and contributions of our nation's pharmacists as an essential part of the healthcare team."
Key recommendations of the report:
- Health leaders and policy makers should further explore ways to optimize the role of pharmacists to deliver a variety of patient-centered care and disease prevention, in collaboration with physicians or as part of the healthcare team.
- Utilization of pharmacists as an essential part of the healthcare team to prevent and manage disease in collaboration with other clinicians can improve quality, contain costs, and increase access to care.
- Recognition of pharmacists as health care provider, clinicians and an essential part of the health care team is appropriate given the level of care they provided in many health care settings.
- Compensation models, reflective of the range of care provided by pharmacists, are needed to sustain these patient oriented, quality improvement services.
