Charting the demand for pharmacists in the managed care era

The demand for pharmacists in the changing health care market is discussed. The Pharmacy Manpower Project (PMP) evolved out of concerns raised in the late 1980s, when the demand for pharmacists exceeded the supply. PMP collects, analyzes, and disseminates data on pharmacy work force variables. PMP's Subcommittee to Study Demand Issues was formed after the publication in 1995 of the Pew Health Professions Commission report projecting dramatic surpluses of pharmacists. In 1996-97, the PMP subcommittee held a series of sessions to discuss the future demand for pharmacists and their services. The panel identified a wide range of work force projections, but it concluded that medication management problems in the context of increasing prescription numbers and the emergence of data-driven health care support a scenario of a steadily increasing demand for pharmacists and pharmaceutical services. The data did not show that higher penetration by managed care is associated with smaller pharmacy staffs or job loss in institutions. There is little reason to expect the dramatic downsizing of the pharmacy work force predicted by the third report of the Pew Commission. However, retaining pharmacy roles that are useful to the system and satisfying to pharmacists will require a continuation of current proactive measures by the profession.