Pharmacists are ready and willing to work in collaboration with physicians, said Marcie Bough, Pharm.D., senior director of government affairs for the American Pharmacists Association.
She said that if the FDA pursued this plan, one of the roles of the pharmacist would be to communicate with physicians about what drugs are being dispensed, and to advise patients to go see their doctor when that is appropriate. Increased use of interoperable electronic health records would make that communication easier, she said. But in the meantime, pharmacists will rely on phone calls when higher-tech options aren’t available.