Long-Term Care

Consultant pharmacists: Contracts, controversy, and an evolving role

Briefings on Long-Term Care, December 1, 2009

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Consultant pharmacists can be hired directly by a facility. In most cases, however, a facility will choose to establish an outside contract. Pharmacists may be independent practitioners, but often they are employed by a dispensing, or vendor, pharmacy.
The coordination of a facility’s pharmaceutical needs results in a handful of responsibilities, the principal service being a monthly review of all residents’ medication regimens. The consultant pharmacist is expected to analyze each regimen and make recommendations to the primary care physician.
This responsibility is emphasized based on the size of a facility and its specific resident requirements, factors that not only influence the negotiation of a contract, but also help to define the evolving role of consultant pharmacists amid ethical concerns and increasing industry regulations.

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