Managed care: impact on pharmacy personnel selection

To review how managed care is changing the traditional practice of pharmacy and the selection of pharmacy personnel.

Pharmacy practice journals and health care management journals were reviewed. Search terms included managed care, case management, pharmacists and Gallup Poll, drug use review, and patient compliance.

References were used based on their relevance to describing managed care-driven changes in pharmacy and the potential threats and opportunities associated with these changes.

The literature reviewed confirms that managed care is an increasing presence in the health care delivery system and that its influence is spreading to pharmacy. Health care practitioners, including pharmacists, are realigning and redefining their scope of practice to remain viable within the evolving system.

As the drug delivery system changes, the expectations and roles of its practitioners are changing. The practice of pharmacy is changing from a distributive function to a cognitive one. This change will affect all pharmacy practice sites and will necessitate the hiring of pharmacists who are well qualified to deal with additional requirements. Failure to select qualified personnel may well exclude pharmacy from a major portion of the health care delivery system.