Pharmacists’ medication expertise strengthens clinical care and supports a more collaborative, team-based approach to patient health.
In an interview with Pharmacy Times®, Donald Middleton, MD, vice president of family medicine at UPMC Health Plan, underscored the essential role pharmacists play in disease management and immunization efforts. He explained that effective control of chronic illness requires a collaborative, team-based approach—one in which pharmacists serve as key partners. With constant changes in medication therapy and new treatments emerging, physicians rely on pharmacists’ deep knowledge to ensure safety, accuracy, and optimal care. Middleton added that pharmacists should feel empowered to communicate directly with physicians when medication adjustments or recommendations are needed, noting that such collaboration leads to stronger outcomes and more efficient patient care.
Pharmacy Times: What role do pharmacists play in improving disease control and supporting immunization and medication management efforts?
Pharmacy Times: What is the value of pharmacists in your practice?
Donald Middleton, MD: Sadly, many Americans live with disease, and most of the time, disease control is a team effort. The major part of that team, in terms of medication, is the pharmacy community. Without the help of pharmacists, we would all be in dire need of better control for the illnesses that afflict so many people. There’s no way around this—the pharmacy community is an essential part of medical care for everyone.
At UPMC, we have 60 residents, and 12 of them are pharmacy residents. Every medical team in our hospitals and health centers has a pharmacy component. Physicians can no longer keep up with all the medication changes that come out constantly, and having someone with superior knowledge about medications by your side makes medical care extraordinarily better. The pharmacy community should not back down from this role. They shouldn’t hesitate to contact a doctor’s office to advise them—whether that’s pointing out a dosing issue or recommending a different treatment—because all of us need that kind of support.
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