CDC webcast highlights pharmacy's impact on improving patient health

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlighted the importance of incorporating pharmacists into team-based care to improve patient health outcomes — a move applauded by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores — during its Public Health Grand Rounds webcast on Tuesday.

“We appreciate the CDC highlighting pharmacy’s continued and expanding role in the healthcare delivery system during the Grand Rounds webcast,” said NACDS president and CEO Steve Anderson.  “As healthcare professionals, pharmacists serve an important role as part of a patient’s healthcare team, especially those with chronic conditions who look to their pharmacists not only for the dispensing of their much-needed medications, but also how to take those medications correctly.”



The CDC’s pharmacy-focused public health forum, “How pharmacists can improve our nation’s health,” highlighted the expanded role of pharmacists in the healthcare delivery system. The CDC’s Public Health Grand Rounds is a monthly webcast created to foster discussion on major public health issues.

During Tuesday’s Grand Rounds forum, pharmacists in the public health sector, academia and pharmacy organizations provided presentations that demonstrated the role of pharmacists in helping to improve health outcomes, including pharmacists’ role in collaborative and team-based care models and how pharmacists help improve medication adherence for patients with chronic diseases.



“Pharmacists are widely trusted and extremely valued by patients, making them uniquely positioned to provide patient care services amid the changing landscape of health care,” Anderson added.



Each CDC Grand Rounds session focuses on key challenges related to a specific health topic, and explores cutting-edge scientific evidence and potential impact of different interventions. The Grand Rounds sessions also highlight how the CDC and its partners are already addressing these challenges and discussing the recommendations for future research and practice.