Hospital admissions following cardiac transplantation are often drug related (40%) and preventable (58%). Incorporating this insight into the multidisciplinary transplant team may improve outcomes, assist in meeting national quality mandates by the United Network for Organ Sharing and Centers for Medicare Services, and lead to new benchmarks for transplant centers.

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T he two most recent American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) national surveys 1,2 of pharmacy practice in hospital settings defined practice models as "how pharmacy department resources are used to provide patient care services. This includes how pharmacists practice and what services are provided in the care of patients, the role of pharmacy technicians in supporting patient care, and the use of automation and technology in the medication-use process." 2 For the profession to achieve consensus and consistency, it is critical to establish a clear taxonomy of terms to describe our practice models. The authors of the aforementioned ASHP surveys have proposed terminology to describe what are believed to be the three most commonly used pharmacy practice models. 1,2 These definitions are general, and we recognize that actual practice in most hospitals involves a blend of these models.Drug-distribution-centered model. Anderson 3 noted that "the traditional structure of most pharmacy departments is built around drug distribution, acquisition, and control." In this model, medication distribution and the processing of medication orders constitute the singular focus of the pharmacy department. There is little proactive involvement of pharmacists in medication selection or monitoring. In most cases, pharmacists are rel-64111 (twoods@saint-lukes.org).

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