title: Focus group on pharmacy and managed care.
abstract: The participants agreed that integrated health systems of the future will provide the full continuum of care for patients. The characteristics of individual systems will be influenced by the basic elements the system controls and maintains inhouse and the elements that are outsourced. The challenge to pharmacists in these systems will be to ensure that key decision-makers have accurate information about the value of pharmacy and the need to include pharmacists on the care team. The medication-use process and the formulary system will be tied to disease-specific care plans or treatment protocols. Pharmacists will have a greater role in overall disease management. They will be involved with the patient before an office visit and will aggressively follow the patient to prevent or slow disease progression. Pharmacy managers have identified a number of core competencies their staffs must have. One participant summed these up as outstanding clinical knowledge, exceptional communication skills, and common sense.
mesh_terms: D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010593:Pharmaceutical Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States