The 2009-10 Argus Commission was charged to examine the topic of the pharmacist’s contribution to primary healthcare delivery in the context of national healthcare reform and identify the resources of the Academy and the profession needed to engage in the national conversation. The charge further requested the Argus Commission to scan the environment to determine the opportunities for expansion...

It is well known that countries with strong primary care achieve better health outcomes at lower costs. Therefore, the effort of World Health Organization in promoting primary care as a basic principal of successful health care system is an ongoing process. Although Croatia was recognized as a country with primary care orientation due to the development of health centers and introduction of spe...

BACKGROUND Pharmacists have expanded their roles and responsibilities as a result of primary health care reform. There is currently no consensus on the core competencies for pharmacists working in these evolving practices. The aim of this study was to develop and validate competencies for pharmacists' effective performance in these roles, and in so doing, document the perceived contribution of ...

OBJECTIVES In 2008 and 2013, the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers surveyed community health center (CHC) primary care physicians (PCPs) to identify factors related to preparedness, recruitment and retention. The survey was repeated to determine the impact of Massachusetts health care reform. METHODS An online survey was sent t...

An article entitled “Massachusetts Health Reform and Access for Children With Special Health Care Needs” by Smith and Chien appears in this month’s issue of Pediatrics. The investigators used parent-reported data from the 2005/2006 and 2009/2010 National Survey of Children With Special Health Care Needs to compare findings in Massachusetts before and after the implementation of health care refo...

Health care reform offers psychiatrists, who are trained in both general medical and behavioral health care, many opportunities to assume leadership roles on collaborative care teams and improve patient outcomes. This column describes such opportunities in primary care and public mental health settings and outlines new competencies, such as enhanced primary care skills, that will allow psychiat...