Presidential tip: Pharmacists must take the lead

Managed care pharmacists have the potential to lead pharmaceutical care into the millennium, according to the new president of the Academy of Managed Care Physicians.

During his inaugural speech at the AMCP's annual meeting in New Orleans in May, Lowell Sterler emphasized that pharmacists can't rely on familiarity of the past and must instead embrace the future. In order to propel the profession beyond its traditional boundaries, "[pharmacists] must be visionary, not reactionary," he said.

Sterler made four recommendations that showed how managed care pharmacists could be more active leaders.

•Â "We must document what we do in our profession, how we make our decisions and the impact of those decisions on both patients and the organizations we serve. That will show definitely that what we do results in good, and often improved, outcomes in our patients."

•Â "We must show that increases in pharmaceutical costs can lead to reductions in hospitalizations and other medical services. As managed care pharmacists who put patients first, we must not be held hostage to a notion that success comes from managing pharmacy in a vacuum."

•Â "We must continue to make our voices heard strong and clear on the legislative and regulatory front."

•Â "We must reach out to the next generation of pharmacists to prepare them for how pharmacy will be practiced in the years to come."

For a complete copy of Sterler's speech, contact the AMCP, (800) 827-2627.