A recent article in Modern Medicine, "Pharmacists' role evolves with 21st century health care," reports that the National Council for Vital Health Statistics (NCVHS) testified that electronic health records (EHRs) are imperative for decreasing health costs and improving patient care.

Pharmacists will play a large part in determining how EHRs are used to improve communication between physicians and pharmacists. In the past, pharmacists have had limited information about the patient's disease or treatment. EHRs offer physicians and pharmacists a unified view of the patient profile, which allows pharmacists to provide greater assistance to the physician and the patient.

Retail pharmacists can also improve communication with physicians using EHRs. The number of retail medical clinics is growing and pharmacy organizations support them. However there is a lack of unified communication protocol for clinics and pharmacies that is prohibiting efficient communication.

The Standards Charter Organization (SCO) addresses that need by bringing senior members of the U.S. healthcare standards development community together to eliminate communication barriers.

Healthcare professionals across the board are working together to improve patient care through collaboration and communication. Pharmacists will play a critical role in this new healthcare landscape.

Source: Klimek, John, RPh. "Pharmacists' role evolves with 21st century health care" Modern Medicine. 10 August, 2009. drugtopics.modernmedicine.com