PHARMACIST’S ROLE IN TEAM-BASED CARE

To recognize that pharmacists, as core members and medication-use experts on interprofessional healthcare teams, increase the capacity and efficiency of teams for delivering evidence-based, safe, high-quality, and cost-effective patient-centered care; further,

To advocate to policymakers, payers, and other stakeholders for the inclusion of pharmacists as care providers within team-based care and as the provider of comprehensive medication management services; further,

To assert that all members of the interprofessional care team have a shared responsibility in coordinating the care they provide and are accountable to the patient and each other for the outcomes of that care; further,

To urge pharmacists on healthcare teams to collaborate with other team members in establishing and implementing quality and outcome measures for care provided by those teams.           

Rationale

There is a growing consensus among healthcare providers and payers that patient-centered care by a collaborative team is the optimal model of care. A collaborative care model provides pharmacists with an opportunity to contribute their expertise in medication use to improving patient outcomes.

The pharmacy profession appears to be struggling, however, with implementation of this care model. Not unexpectedly, there is a wide variation in the way “team-based care” is interpreted and applied. Therefore, states currently in the process of rewriting practice acts have been challenged to find guidance on the fundamental roles and responsibilities of pharmacists in various care settings. This policy recommendation builds on concepts in ASHP policy 1114, Pharmacist Accountability for Patient Outcomes; sets the expectation for other providers that teams with pharmacists will improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of care; and supports advocacy to the broader healthcare community on the value of care delivery by teams that include pharmacists.