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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Deberah Kula |
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Kula proposal to expand role of pharmacists moves to full House
HARRISBURG, Oct. 31 – A proposal introduced by state Rep. Deberah Kula, D-Fayette/Westmoreland, that would expand the role of pharmacists in the management of drug therapy moved one step closer to passage on Wednesday as the House Professional Licensure Committee endorsed the measure.
Kula said the committee made a few substantial changes to the legislation (H.B. 1250) before reporting it to the full House of Representatives. She said the changes strongly enhance her original proposal and would provide a significant boost to the services pharmacists will be able to deliver.
“The changes made by the committee took into account some of the concerns with my original proposal and I believe that we now have a measure that will allow patients to easily receive assistance with their medications for diseases,” Kula said. “Pharmacists are trained and educated in how drugs work, how they can affect the body and their potential dangers. By allowing them the opportunity to expand their role in the delivery of health care, we would be providing additional access and improving the quality of our health-care system here in Pennsylvania.”
Currently, pharmacists can manage drug therapy for patients only when they practice in an institutional setting such as a hospital or nursing home. Kula said her amended bill would permit pharmacists to enter into a collaborative agreement with a physician to perform drug therapy management outside an institutional setting if the pharmacist meets certain requirements. Some of these requirements include evidence of training in the diseases they are managing through drug therapy, compliance with registration requirements and proof of professional liability insurance covering $1 million per occurrence.
According to the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, it is projected that health-care spending in the United States will reach $3.1 trillion and will constitute 17.7 percent of gross domestic product by the year 2012. In addition, it is estimated that prescription drug costs will increase from $121 billion in 2001 to more than $445 billion in 2012.
Kula added that programs administered by the U.S. Public Health Service, the nation’s armed forces, and the Veterans Health Administration, as well as 38 states across the country, now include expanding the participation of pharmacists as a key element of their health-care system.
“When we passed the budget package, we included several initiatives that expand the role of many health-care professionals because it will increase access to and reduce the costs of care,” she said. “We are in a position to add pharmacists to that list and help thousands of Pennsylvanians receive the care they need.”
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CONTACT: Bill Thomas |