I agree with NYRXMAN... but I think the RPH glut may be as much as five years away... but it is coming. I also believe that it will not just be a glut and a lot of unemployment, but will see our salary scale take a dramatic slide to < $50K-$60K/yr.
It is going to take some sort of "miracle" to separate us from the product. Twenty years ago, I was doing home IV's. One chemo patient I was called out TWICE after hours to provide a Rx. Our policy was a $35 after hrs service charge. This patient's insurance company - a major player - only paid for the $6 Rx.. I appealed and was told by the medical director - ".. we only pay for product - not for service.." This patient did not have a "drug card".. so this was not an issue of "fixed prices". I suppose that if I had charged $41 for the Rx .. I would have been paid.

Today, I personally have this same insurance.. when I went to a local pharmacy to get my flu shot.. they paid everything BUT $10 -copay... when I went to get my H1N1 shot.. They refused to pay for the ADMINISTRATION FEE... since the H1N1 vaccine was FREE to the provider. I suspect that if I went to my MD.. they would have paid for office visit & administration fee. BUT .. it would appear that Pharmacist's services to this particular major insurer only has some worth .. if there is a product involved- that they are paying for.

Yes - in some closed environments - VA - Indian health service and others - the Pharmacist has many expanded responsibilities.. including limited prescriptive authority.... BUT... in the retail environment.. it is all about "bodies thru the front doors". Their movement into "nurse in a box" has not been all that successful overall.
I suspect that collectively corporate pharmacy is like "deers in the headlights" they are afraid to be the first one to take the radical step of telling patients that the Pharmacist's advice is going to have a cost attached.. maybe even that they will have to make an appt for the service .. for fear that their customers will head for the front doors and head to their competitors for "free advice"

Where is our potential? If/when medical practices consolidate to control costs, Our expertise may be needed/wanted as part of a large practice and getting paid for our knowledge will be "enveloped" in the practices' charges.

ptcb exam study guide at www.pharmrx.yolasite.com

I agree completely. Unfortunately, for true medication therapy management and a more focused approach on patient care by pharmacists to be successful, chain management has to play a major role. The independents have been doing this for decades, and doing it well. But for the government and insurance companies to sit up and take notice, it is unfortunately the chains that get most of the attention. If major pharmacy chains decide on this pathway for their pharmacists, everyone will follow, including third-party payers who I believe will pay for that service when they realize the money they are saving in their medical plans as a result of better compliance.

In a very few years, the shortage of pharmacists will be but a distant memory as more pharmacists are being graduated than ever before in the history of the profession. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't see a glut of pharmacists in the marketplace in two years. These newly graduated pharmacists must be able to practice at a different professional level than today or they will just add to the jobless figures.

The shortage for pharmacists focused medication dispensing is abating and there will be a sharp growth in the need to diversify into patient-focused care. I mean, isn't the number one goal of healthcare patient care anyway? If pharmacists want to shine as part of healthcare teams and want to be seen by patients as healthcare team members, the border between profits and patient-care must be crossed. And, yes, both can be achieved simultaneously.

Will Rph be given the right tools to accomplish this one-on-one consultation with individual patient as advertised by a big corporation?

Will Rph be given the right amount of time to accomplish this one-on-one consultation with individual patient as advertised by a big corporation?

That's fantastic ! You have really got me chuckling, and it is so, so, so true !

Sounds like the Monday I had....
You forgot one thing, calling the doctor because the Rx was illegible, being told the doctor is away till Wednesday, meantime the patient wants their medication, I tell the patient it cannot be done, can't read the Rx, I'd rather give NO medication than the WRONG medication.
Then came Tuesday.....

Generic drugs are copies of brand-name drugs that have exactly the same dosage, intended use, effects, side effects, route of administration, risks, safety, and strength as the original drug. In other words, their pharmacological effects are exactly the same as those of their brand-name counterparts.

An example of a generic drug, one used for diabetes, is metformin. A brand name for metformin is Glucophage. (Brand names are usually capitalized while generic names are not.) A generic drug, one used for hypertension, is metoprolol, whereas a brand name for the same drug is Lopressor.

Many people become concerned because generic drugs are often substantially cheaper than the brand-name versions. They wonder if the quality and effectiveness have been compromised to make the less expensive products. The FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) requires that generic drugs be as safe and effective as brand-name drugs.

Actually, generic drugs are only cheaper because the manufacturers have not had the expenses of developing and marketing a new drug. When a company brings a new drug onto the market, the firm has already spent substantial money on research, development, marketing and promotion of the drug. A patent is granted that gives the company that developed the drug an exclusive right to sell the drug as long as the patent is in effect.

It is a natural product. The incidence of chemical sensitivity increases the use of bio-identical hormone replacement, all hormones.

I admire your passion. I wish I had that kind of motivation every seconds every day.

Can we provide good patient care and remain competitive at the same time?