Home arrow Articles arrow Understanding Issues in Pharmacy
Understanding Issues in Pharmacy
User Rating: / 0
PoorBest 
With the current economy, more and more people are looking for career options that offer security, as well as good income.  The world of pharmacy is one that is a top contender, considering it will always be needed.  However, while there are numerous aspects of pharmacy that are positive, there are also some pharmacy issues.  In this article, we wanted to address some of the current issues this particular field of medicine faces.

•   Medication Guides – As the focus becomes more on the protection and education of the consumer, we see a growing pharmacy issue pertaining to the need for certain documentation to be dispensed to the patient.  One such document has to do with HEPA or the privacy act that promises any patient information will not be shared.  Additionally, there are now new medication guides, also called “MedGuides”, which are provided with some medications, particularly NSAIDS and antidepressants.   While all medication comes with instructions on how the medication is taken, as well as potential side effects, MedGuides are additional documents in some instances.
 
•    Consumer Medication Information – This is another aspect of pharmacy issues that while important and even mandated by the FDA.  Since 2006, the FDA now requires the majority of patients receiving new prescriptions be provided with additional information.  Again, documentation for patients is critical but because it adds to the growing responsibilities of pharmacists, it also falls within the pharmacy issues on the rise.

•    Medication Therapy Management – MTM has become a very integral part of prescription medication and its benefit.  As a new service now being offered, it certainly makes for a much better pharmacist-patient relationship but it also creates more work.  With MTM, the goal is for pharmacists to have new and innovative programs that better patient services overall but this also means additional responsibility that can sometimes be a little overwhelming.

•    Managing – One of the major pharmacy issues that professionals are now facing has to do with finances.  Without doubt, the need for medication and good pharmacists is on the rise but we also see a growing cost associated with these prescription drugs.  Because of this, the top executives who own and operate pharmacies are having a tough time in trying to provide top quality service and product to patients while cutting costs.  Typically, pharmacy issues relating to cost cutting effect labor, trying to get the most done with fewer people.  The days of taking pharmacy medication for granted are gone.  Although we all expect the economy to stabilize, until that time happens, the management aspect of the pharmaceutical world is tough.

•    Budgeting – Finally, along with tough times in managing pharmacies, there are many people having a difficult time setting and following a strict budget.  While this is among the pharmacy issues currently being addressed, the good news is that there are definitive steps to take for getting a budget under control.  For instance, new products need to be planned and budgeted separately in that predicting costs as a whole can be near impossible.  Then, pharmacy owners should consider building a non-formulary budget, again budgeting higher priority drugs apart from others is key.  This way, it is much easier to keep track of formulary compliance.  Finally, a separate budget should also be established for the lower priority drugs.  This would include the more common and less expensive drugs that do not hit the budget as hard as others but still need to be accounted for.

With the majority of pharmacy issues having to d with finances, there needs to be a number of different plans put in place to keep costs to a more manageable level.  For instance, there should be more GPO compliance, improved trending and data analysis, more formulary compliance specific to doctors, better contracts for direct manufacturing, and a higher level of outpatient management, fewer products on formulary, and even a broadened use of reports submitted by physicians.  Taking all the pharmacy issues into consideration, new strategies can be formulated to continue offering patients safe and efficient prescription medication and services.


Add as favourites (62) | Quote this article on your site

Be first to comment this article

Write Comment
  • Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article.
  • Personal verbal attacks will be deleted.
  • Please don't use comments to plug your web site. Such material will be removed.
  • Just ensure to *Refresh* your browser for a new security code to be displayed prior to clicking on the 'Send' button.
  • Keep in mind that the above process only applies if you simply entered the wrong security code.
Name:
Title:
BBCode:Web AddressEmail AddressBold TextItalic TextUnderlined TextQuoteCodeOpen ListList ItemClose List
Comment:

Code:* Code
 
< Prev   Next >
[ Back ]

Popular Articles