[Functions of pharmacy as medical care provider]

With the 2006 amendment of the Medical Services Law,pharmacy dispensing of prescription drug orders was specified as medical care provider. As a result of specialization in pharmacy going forward, 60% of outpatients now use community pharmacies to fill their prescriptions. Meanwhile, pharmacy has been establishing a procedural system for insurance pharmacy operation. It also is a common practice for a pharmacist to visit home care patient under the physician's direction with the patient's consent. With pharmacy's function has been changing as well as undergoing major changes in the law, a prefectural pharmacy search system was used to carry out a study of home care-based pharmacy functions. In fact, conducting a study over the month of February 2010, we used a questionnaire survey targeting 226 pharmacies in Tokyo and three other prefectures. The questionnaire return rate was 42.6%. The results of the study showed the followings; 59 pharmacies conducted home visits, 59 pharmacies accepted payments covered by insurance, and 24 pharmacies participated with patients in joint discharge guidance. It is clear that pharmacy has broadened their functions from a filling of outpatient prescriptions to home based healthcare services.