ABSTRACT
This chapter examines some of the changes caused by the furor regarding the requirements of Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (OBRA ‘90) that specify drug therapy review and counseling of patients. As the pharmacy profession grapples with the implications of the edicts of OBRA ‘90, those pharmacists who base their professional activities on their ability to empathize with the needs of their patients should have little or no trouble being in legal compliance. The expanded role for pharmacy as envisioned by OBRA ‘90 included patient care services that make the pharmacist a more significant player in healthcare delivery. The directives contained in OBRA ‘90 and in the subsequent laws and regulations passed by the states codify or provide for specific laws and regulations that specify the duties of pharmacists in the treatment of patients who receive prescriptions. For a pharmacist’s patient-counseling activity to be meaningful, counseling must be performed within the context of patient-specific information.
