The future of pharmacists

1. Machines can count pills and put them into a bottle. Dispensing kiosks can process prescription refills during off-hours. What does that leave for pharmacists of the future to do?

2. “The pharmacist is going to be responsible for managing the effective distribution process of medication. Current and future automation will assist with that, because anything that automates the dispensing and distribution process will obviously free the pharmacist to fulfill more of a clinical role as well,” said James Owen, BS Pharm.

3. Simply put, pharmacists and pharmacies of tomorrow must find ways to increase profit margins by reducing the cost of prescribing, embracing technology, and focusing more on patient counseling.

4. Technological options available to pharmacies today are as numerous as they are convenient. According to Bill G. Felkey, BA, “As the healthcare system becomes more digital, the most exciting thing is that we will have the potential to have more time for patient-centered activities.”

5. “We will probably see a shift in the utilization of pharmacists - from a product focus to a patient focus,” said H.W. Matthews, Ph.D.

6. Jim Owen, director of professional practice, agreed. “The pharmacy of the future will be a place where individuals are providing clinical care. The pharmacist has been and will evolve to be the healthcare provider who actually manages the use of medications for patients, in addition to managing their effective distribution process”.

7. “We also believe there are opportunities for pharmacies in home medical equipment. Despite accreditation and surety bond legislation, home medical equipment is an excellent complement to many pharmacies and a welcome opportunity to build additional profitability into your business.”

Exercise 18: Work with the group - Read the text once again and find out if the information:

1. True

2. False

3. The text doesn’t consist any information:

Questions	Answers
Current and future automation will assist with the management of the effective distribution process of medication.	
The future of pharmacy will not include the clinical skills.	
Technological options available to pharmacies today are numerous but inconvenient.	
The pharmacist of future will have more time for their scientific researches.	
There are opportunities for pharmacies in home medical equipment.	

Exercise 19: Work with the group. Read the text once again and point out the abstract number of the following sentences:

a) 7

b) 5

c) 3

d) 6

e) 2

f) 4

g) 1

1. We will probably see a shift in the utilization of pharmacists - from a product focus to a patient focus.

2. The healthcare system becomes more digital.

3. Pharmacists and pharmacies of tomorrow must find ways to increase profit margins by reducing the cost of prescribing.

Exercise 20: Work with the group. Answer the questions:

1. What can build an additional profitability into the business of pharmacists?

a) new drugs

b) digital healthcare system

c) home medical equipment

d) effective distribution process

2. What is the main idea of the text?

a) The pharmacy of the future will be a place where individuals are providing clinical care.

b) Pharmacists and pharmacies of tomorrow will have more ways to increase profit margins in their business.

c) Thanks to the digital healthcare system there will be shift in the utilization of pharmacists in pharmacies to a patient focus.