Clinical Review
Is There Cost Justification for Decentralized Clinical Pharmacists?
Fed Pract. 2004 April;21(4):35
Author and Disclosure Information
Glen Murata, MD, Julie Rodgers, PharmD, Christie Sandoval, PharmD, Cynthia Smith, PharmD, and Richard D'Angio, PharmD
Dr. Murata is a staff physician at the New Mexico VA Health Care System (NMVAHCS) and a professor of medicine at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, both in Albuquerque. At the time of this writing, Dr. Rodgers was a pharmacy practice resident at the NMVAHCS. She is now an ambulatory care clinical pharmacist at the VA Southern Nevada Health Care System, Las Vegas, NV. Dr. Sandoval is an inpatient clinical pharmacist and Dr. Smith is a geriatric clinical pharmacist, both at the NMVAHCS. Dr. D'Angio is a clinical education consultant for Pfizer, Inc., Cedar Crest, NM.
Theoretically, moving pharmacists out of the centralized pharmacy and into the patient care setting maximizes their ability to help prevent costly adverse drug events. Here, VA researchers subject the theory to practical economic and clinical scrutiny.