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US Pharm. 2006;12:1.
Whew! Thank goodness, the elections
are finally over. I don't know about you, but with so many serious issues
facing this country at both the state and national levels, I was very
disenchanted by the mudslinging campaign strategies from candidates on both
sides of the aisle. There is no question that the citizens of this country
sent a clear message for change, but make no mistake about it: The Democratic
Congress has a full agenda of critical issues on its plate, including the war
in Iraq and health care. And while many of the issues are fairly obvious to
every American, tucked away in a small corner of that Congress' very crowded
plate are the not-so-obvious important issues facing pharmacy that I hope the
110th Congress will have the time and stomach to tackle.
Health care in general has been
largely ignored by legislators over the past several years. It seems to me
that when it comes to health care, we are paying more and getting less. Some
argue that health care should not be legislated. They say it's best to let
market forces and the private sector dictate its direction. It seems to me
we've tried that already, and look at the mess we're in as a result. When it
comes to the quality of health care in this country, it is the tail wagging
the dog. Third-party organizations are controlling how physicians,
pharmacists, and other health care providers get paid, by instituting
restrictive formularies in the name of cost containment that are putting some
patients' lives at serious risk. Others say that government has no place in
regulating health care. I mean, look at the Medicare Part D debacle. I say
let's find a happy medium. Legislators need to take a closer look to see what
they are getting for the bucks they are spending. Health care professionals,
managed care, pharmaceutical companies, and legislators need to come together
to fix a system that is obviously broken.
And if Congress is going to be
serious about improving the health care system in this country, it needs to
pay more attention to pharmacy. The profession of pharmacy plays a crucial
role in the distribution of lifesaving medications. Every time a pharmacist
dispenses a prescription, it has been checked against a patient's medication
profile for interactions with other drugs or foods. The pharmacist is
available to offer patients essential medication therapy management to make
sure the medications are being taken properly. This reduces the likelihood of
an unnecessary doctor or hospital visit, thereby shrinking the overall cost of
health care.
In addition to federally regulated
issues that need attention, like Medicare Part D, the list of issues impacting
pharmacists is impressive and must be addressed. In no particular order, they
include importation of drugs and drug pedigrees, technological advances such
as RFIDs and their effect on counterfeit drugs and devices, the pharmacist
shortage, unnecessary delays in third-party reimbursements, drug shortages,
restrictions on compounding, collaborative practice protocols, and Medicare
provider status.
I hope that the new Congress will
understand its responsibility in helping pharmacists and other health care
professionals to do their job properly. I encourage all of you to contact your
newly elected legislators now. Let them know you had a voice in putting them
in office, and now it is payback time.
Harold E. Cohen, R. Ph.
To comment on this article, contact
editor@uspharmacist.com.
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