Running Head: ePortfolio 1

ePortfolio

Health Science Knowledge and Skills

The Pharmacist as a Provider

Submitted to:

Dr. Tony Rosales

Prepared by:

Amrit Virdee

HCIN-546-02-SU18 - Capstone
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The Pharmacist as the Provider

I may be biased on this matter but as a Pharmacist, I believe that that they are

underutilized and have a huge potential of being part of the health care continuum. Currently the

Pharmacist is not recognized as a Health Care Providers in the eyes of the Social Security Act

(SSA), which determines eligibility for health care programs such as Medicare Part B. There is a

current shift where Pharmacists are seen primarily for their dispensing duties to a greater

participation in the direct care of patients such as offering vaccinations and Medication

Treatment Management (MTM). Pharmacists also play a key role in medication adherence and

conciliation. However, there is still a long way to go before a Pharmacist can be seen as a fully-

fledged Health Care Provider with the ability to bill for healthcare services.

One of my artifacts reviews the role of Pharmacists in the reconciliation of medication in

Electronic Health Records (EHRs). Medication Reconciliation is defined as the process of

identifying the most accurate list of all medications that a patient is taking where the goal is to

obtain and maintain accurate medication records so that the information can be used within or

across the continuum of care to ensure safe and effective medication usage. Medication

reconciliation is currently listed as one of the core measures in Stage 2 of the meaningful use

guidelines as proposed by the CMS. With the advent of more pharmacies adopting EHRs,

pharmacists can gain from getting to know their patients better, make better informed decisions,

improve efficiency and save money. Pharmacists have often been coined as the most accessible

healthcare professional and pharmacists have a pivotal role in collaborating with other health

care providers to ensure that an effective process for medication reconciliation is in place. This

adoption can be used to reduce adverse drug events across the continuum of care.
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I have also included an artifact on using a voice activated device to help improve

medication adherence in a home setting. This looks at a high level what the future may look like,

artificially intelligent ‘health bots’ that keep a track on how adherent you are with your

medication, what your blood pressure or blood sugar is and have the ability to provide all vital

information in an easily understandable format. Lack of medication adherence is a current issue

especially when patients are taking 5 or more medications per day. The ability to use a voice

activated system such as Amazon Echo or Google Home would allow verbal prompts to be used

instead of physical actions which has the potential of delivering more personalized care and

hence have the capability of improving medication adherence. Pharmacists could provide ‘on-

demand’ counselling and motivational counselling’s through these devices providing a patient

focused tool.
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References

HIMSS. (2016, December 29). The Meaningful Use of Electronic Medication Reconciliation.

from http://www.himss.org/meaningful-use-electronic-medication-

reconciliation?ItemNumber=29863

Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 24(1), 2017, 193–197 doi:

10.1093/jamia/ocw044 Advance Access Publication Date: 23 April 2016 Perspective