Role of pharmacists on primary care health teams to be discussed during Health Affairs press briefing

American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP):

“Why Pharmacists Belong in the Medical Home”

What: Health Affairs May 2010 issue, Reinventing Primary Care, press briefing

When: Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Where: National Press Club, 529 14^th St. NW, 13^th Floor, Washington, DC 20045

Who: Marie A. Smith, Pharm.D., co-author of "Why Pharmacists Belong in the Medical Home" to be published in the May 2010 issue of Health Affairs

Information: Reinventing Primary Care is the theme of the May 2010 issue of Health Affairs which features the article "Why Pharmacists Belong in the Medical Home," co-authored by AACP member Dr. Marie A. Smith of the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy.

Smith will discuss the role of pharmacists on primary care health teams during a Health Affairs press briefing on Tuesday, May 4 at 11:30 a.m. ET. She will be joined by an interprofessional team of colleagues that includes Christine Cassell of the American Board of Internal Medicine, Joanne Pohl of the University of Michigan School of Nursing and Bill Leinweber from the American Academy of Physician Assistants. A question-and-answer session will follow the panel and Smith will be available to speak with interested reporters from 2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is the invited keynote speaker. Two additional panels of representatives from health professions will discuss an overview of the primary care crisis and prospects for reinvention, as well as new models of primary care.

Smith is department head and clinical professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy. She is a seasoned pharmacy educator, healthcare strategist and change management leader with more than 25 years experience across diverse practice arenas. Smith's current scholarly activities encompass working with multiple healthcare reform policymakers and stakeholders to address e-health and health informatics public policy issues, and to create an e-prescribing medication information exchange that optimizes medication use, enhances medication safety and improves patient adherence in the primary care, patient-centered medical home practice setting.

The 2010 AACP Interim Meeting, Patient-centered, Team-based Care: Setting the Standard, featured Smith as a member of an Academic Models Panel during which she discussed primary care medication information flows and the use of health information technology to support team-based care coordination.