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Essay / PCMH Model - 725
Pharmacists have skills and knowledge that complement those of other members of the healthcare team. I believe the best way to integrate a pharmacist into PCMHs is to use the integrated model. In this model, a pharmacist practices in the PCMH office through a partnership between the PCMH and a hospital pharmacy.5 The pharmacist is still able to provide the same MTM services as the employed model, however, this model is more affordable because the pharmacist's salary is shared between the PCMH and the hospital. Other articles discussed the promising results of collaborative drug therapy management via MTM.5,1 In this setting, a pharmacist and a physician establish a system in which a pharmacist can modify drug therapy for specific patients. This form of team-based care also involves a high level of patient engagement. Patients actively participate to be informed about the medications they are taking and the treatment plan. This allows the pharmacist to use motivational interviewing skills to develop a medication plan for the patient and then relay information such as progress and problems to other professionals on the patient's team. The collaborative medication therapy management system requires a high level of communication between the pharmacist and others. Without effective communication, the PCMH and collaborative medication therapy management system would not be effective, even with a fully staffed pharmacist.