| Popis: |
To describe challenges and opportunities associated with the emergence of retail-based health clinics in community pharmacies. Summary: Retail-based clinics have emerged as a convenient, low cost treatment option for many patients. These clinics, which are staffed by physicians' assistants or nurse practitioners, often are located directly within community pharmacies offering rapid diagnosis and treatment for a limited number of health problems. With plans for significant expansion, these clinics offer the profession of pharmacy with a number of challenges. Particularly, allocating space in community pharmacies for retail-based clinics could place pharmacists at a disadvantage to other providers as they pursue ancillary health care activities. These clinics also represent an opportunity for pharmacists to position themselves as a legitimized health care provider who is reimbursed for the consultative services they perform. Because most retail-based clinic conditions are easily diagnosed and have well established treatment protocols, pharmacists would be well positioned to provide these services under collaborative practice arrangements. This could ultimately provide the infrastructure necessary to offer other types of patient services, including Medication Therapy Management (MTM). Conclusion: As retail-based clinics continue to proliferate, pharmacy should carefully consider surrendering space in community pharmacies to other health care practitioners. Retail-based clinics present pharmacists with an opportunity to provide many of the additional health care services we have so vigorously argued for. |
