The Patient Care Practice Management (PCPM) community welcomes psychiatric pharmacists who provide direct patient care to people with psychiatric disorders in any setting. Pharmacists who practice in the inpatient or outpatient setting or in a psychiatric or primary care setting can benefit from participating in this community. The PCPM community provides clinical education and skill building as well as support for the psychiatric pharmacist to become a unique and essential member of the every patient care team.
Healthcare systems across the country are striving to use every member of the team to the top of their license. Because of this, not only do pharmacists need clinical knowledge and skills, they must also become proficient in practice management systems that include clarifying responsibilities, patient identification, scheduling, securing office space, utilizing support staff, documentation, and communication amongst team members. It requires data collection and analysis to show improvements in outcomes and cost, and ultimately, a transformed profession.
The PCPM community tackles day to day challenges that pharmacists face in either establishing new practice sites or expanding existing ones. Members of the PCPM community communicate with each other via listserv and through the presentation of patient cases or example practices during quarterly webinars. Webinars for the upcoming year will occur on September 11, November 13, January 8, and March 11 at 10:30 central time. Members are also encouraged to share their expertise through workspace resources in categories including rating scales, treatment protocols or guidelines, patient handouts, lectures to other team members, and practice management resources. As a group the PCPM community strives to educate patients, physicians, administrators, legislators and payers about the value of the pharmacist as an essential member of the patient care team.