EXPLORING SELF-CARE AND WELLNESS - A MODEL FOR PHARMACIST COMPENSATION BY MANAGED CARE ORGANIZATIONS

Self-care and wellness are rapidly becoming mainstays of practice for many pharmacists. Consumer confidence and trust in pharmacists provide s continuing opportunities for pharmacists to create products and serv ices to satisfy consumer demands related to disease prevention and hea lthcare delivery. We outline two pharmacy wellness programs designed t o meet consumer needs, and offer them as models for pharmacists. Issue s related to the program and extent of involvement by pharmacists are raised, including the role of the pharmacists in behavior modification efforts; selecting areas of focus (eg, smoking cessation); working wi th physicians for referrals; enlightening community business leaders a nd managed care organizations to the economic benefits of the program; and developing strategies for fair purchase of services to achieve pr ogram goals and provide adequate compensation in return.