The Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process

The Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners’ Pharmacists Patient Care Process (Pharmacists Patient Care Process Final _05_20_2026 Updated ), updated from the 2014 version, provides a current and comprehensive framework for pharmacists to consistently provide person-centered care across all pharmacy practice settings.

Patient Care Process document (.pdf)

Cite as: Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners. Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process. May 20, 2025. Available at: https://jcpp.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Pharmacists-Patient-Care-Process-Document-2025.pdf.

Introduction

Pharmacists, as medication experts and integral members of the care team, are essential health care providers who use a person-centered approach to optimize each patient’s medication and health outcomes. By establishing trusted relationships and fostering effective communication, pharmacists collaborate with patients and their support systems as well as other care team members to provide quality health care. Pharmacists provide a wide array of patient care services aligned with standard of care, consistent with scope of practice, and facilitated by collaborative practice agreements, statewide protocols, standing orders, and independent prescribing authority. To structure care and provide consistency for patients, the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process (PPCP) is applicable across all practice settings and modes of delivery (e.g., in person, telehealth). Patient care is optimized when pharmacists have access to contemporary technology capabilities that augment their practice, enable documentation of their services, and allow for secure exchange of patient information through standardized data-sharing solutions (e.g., electronic health records, digital health devices, clinical documentation and billing systems). [1]

Guided by evidence, clinical reasoning, and complexity of patient needs, pharmacists apply the five steps of the PPCP to help patients meet their health goals (Figure 1).

Pharmacists' Patient Care Process Diagram Figure 1

Collect

The pharmacist ensures the collection of necessary subjective and objective information about the patient to understand the relevant medication and medical history, overall health status, and other pertinent factors. Information may be gathered and verified from multiple sources (e.g., the patient, caregiver, observations, existing patient records, other health care professionals). Based on the needs of the patient, this process may include:

  • Collecting patient health concerns, priorities, goals, lifestyle factors, beliefs, preferences, cognitive and functional status, and social determinants of health that affect medication outcomes and overall health.
  • Determining the patient’s current medication list and past medication history for prescription and nonprescription medications and other products with potential therapeutic implications.
  • Compiling relevant medical and pharmacotherapeutic data that may include but are not limited to medical problems, physical assessment findings, allergies and intolerances, immunizations, vital signs, laboratory values, genomics, clinical notes, and results from clinical tests, diagnostic imaging, medical devices, and other digital health tools.
  • Obtaining details related to the care of the patient such as patient demographics, health insurance information, and contact information for other care team members, as appropriate.

Assess

The pharmacist assesses the collected information to identify and prioritize patient needs to inform the establishment of a care plan. In the context of new and existing goals of therapy and other patient goals, this process includes:

  • Evaluating each medication for indication, appropriateness, effectiveness, safety, interactions, tolerability, cost, access, convenience, and adherence to identify medication therapy problems and other medication-related needs.[2]
  • Assessing existing and identifying new medical problems, including diagnosing* consistent with a pharmacist’s scope of practice, for potential intervention, resolution, or referral.
  • Evaluating social determinants of health, cultural considerations, and health literacy to identify opportunities for intervention, resolution, or referral.
  • Determining preventive care and wellness needs (e.g., medications, immunizations, education, screenings).
  • Formulating person-centered, evidence-based care goals.

* Examples may include but are not limited to diagnosing self-care conditions, medication therapy problems, and based on point-of-care testing results.

Plan

The pharmacist develops a person-centered, evidence-based, cost-conscious care plan in partnership with the patient and/or caregiver and in coordination with other care team members. The process of formulating a care plan to address goals may include:

  • Optimizing medications by addressing prioritized medication therapy problems and other medication-related needs.
  • Incorporating prioritized medical problems, lifestyle modifications, preventive care needs, and social determinants of health.
  • Integrating continuity of care, safe and timely transitions of care, referrals, follow-up, and appropriate monitoring parameters.
  • Confirming patient and/or caregiver understanding and agreement with the goals and plan.

Implement

In providing person-centered care, the pharmacist implements a prioritized care plan in partnership with the patient and/or caregiver and in coordination with other care team members. This process may include:

  • Taking action to resolve medication therapy problems and other medication-related needs by initiating, continuing, modifying, discontinuing, dispensing, administering, and/or prescribing medications consistent with scope of practice.
  • Ordering and/or performing laboratory tests and providing health monitoring tools as needed, consistent with scope of practice.
  • Addressing prioritized medical problems, lifestyle modifications, preventive care needs, and social determinants of health.
  • Providing the patient and/or caregiver with personalized education, a current medication list, and strategies for self-care.
  • Initiating coordination of care through scheduled appointments, referrals to another care team member, and/or connection to community services.
  • Communicating with other care team members, when needed, and documenting the care provided.

Follow-up: Monitor and Evaluate

The pharmacist follows up to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the care plan and the patient’s overall health in collaboration with the patient, caregiver, and other care team members, as needed. This process includes:

  • Monitoring and evaluating outcomes of the care plan and progress toward achieving person-centered goals, resolving medication therapy problems and other medication-related needs, and optimizing health.
  • Continuing the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process for new and existing patient care needs.

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Footnotes:

[1] Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. United States Core Data for Interoperability: Version 5. March 2025. www.healthit.gov/isp/sites/isp/files/2024-07/USCDI-Version-5-July-2024-Final.pdf

[2] Pharmacy Quality Alliance. PQA Medication Therapy Problem Categories Framework. August 2017. To request the framework, contact PQA at MeasureUse@PQAalliance.org.