Pharmacy practice in the Veterans Administration.

The current status of pharmaceutical services in the Veterans Administration (VA) is described. The mission of the VA Department of Medicine and Surgery is to ensure that quality medical care is provided on a timely basis to all eligible veterans. The VA operates 172 medical centers and 225 ambulatory-care clinics, which makes the VA Pharmacy Service the largest multiinstitutional pharmacy system in the United States. VA pharmacy staffs in VA hospitals range in size from four or five people to more than 100 employees. The VA Pharmacy Service programs are divided into inpatient programs and ambulatory-care programs. Clinical pharmaceutical services and education and research activities are integrated into these programs. A Regional Pharmacy Advisory Council composed of chiefs of pharmacy service from seven geographical regions coordinates the exchange of information between the Central Office and the regions. Current issues of priority for the VA Pharmacy Service include human resource management, material resource management, information resource management, public relations, program enhancement, and new technology. The VA health-care system is comprehensive and complex, and the Pharmacy Service programs reflect the VA mission to provide quality services and support programs that will generate new information or knowledge to improve the care of veterans.