Page 48 - InsideOut Magazine

Once relegated to the prepara-
tion and dispensing of prescription medications, professional concerns for patient safety, rational drug use and patient outcomes helped propel pharmacists from behind the coun- ters to reshape healthcare delivery. Whether in a hospital system, retail chain store or community pharmacy,
Retrospect of Professional Growth
In the 1950s and 1960s, pharma- cists—whether community or hospital based—were not allowed to discuss medications with patients and were required to refer patients back to their physicians for any questions or concerns. Pharmacists were not allowed to substitute brand
pharmacists now provide medica- tion therapy management, medica- tion reconciliation, preventive care services, patient education and behavioral counseling, in addition to dispensing drugs.
Many credit pharmacists with boost- ing patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs, while others cite the value and necessity of phar- macists in collaborative care. As accolades for pharmacists increase, professional groups and legislators are reawakening the call to amend Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, and recognize pharmacists as “healthcare providers” throughout the U.S.
medications without a physician’s authorization. Pharmacists, however, maintained the “inalienable right”
to ask a physician for authorization
if another brand of equal or better quality was available and in stock.1
Hospitals: Stepping Stones
for Change
Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, production of distilled water and manufacture of large-volume sterile solutions were major job func- tions of pharmacists in medium and large hospitals. This was due in large part to concerns about quality and consistency issues with mass-mar- keted products. Similar to community pharmacists, hospital pharmacists
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