Breaking through barriers: Why better systems are required for collaboration

Health care is built on teamwork, but our communication systems don’t reflect that reality. Providers work in silos, cut off from each other’s decisions. As pharmacists, we often have no way to see what others on the team have done for a patient, and no direct line to share what we’ve contributed.How can we possibly understand the role each of us is playing, if we cannot see each team member’s contribution?The reality is this: current systems don’t allow me, as a pharmacist, to see the work of other providers or to communicate directly with them.That leaves us all trapped in workarounds. I pick up the phone and spend 20 minutes waiting on hold. I send faxes in bold sharpie with yes-or-no checkboxes, hoping for a quick, clear reply. I track down specialists’ offices and advocate for patients outside of “official” channels. Every successful interaction feels like a hard-won victory, but each one steals time I could have used to care for more patients.The impact isn’t theoretical, it shows up in the lives of patients at my desk. The cost of these barriers is measured in stories like these:A patient came to my desk in tears after 15 hours in the ER with no answers. I called and secured her a specialist appointment for the next day. When told she should have called herself, I said: “She couldn’t, and I’d make this call again in a heartbeat.”For 10 days I tried to sort out a patient’s therapy with her family doctor, with no success. When she later told me she had chest pain, I paged her cardiologist directly. Within 15 minutes, a missed medication was started.I make the effort because I know my patients deserve it. But it shouldn’t have to be this hard.When systems block communication, they don’t just inconvenience providers, they compromise care. A fragmented health record means each of us only sees our corner of the picture, never the whole canvas. That leaves pharmacists invisible to colleagues, even though we are trained and ready to contribute at a high level. How can another professional truly know the value we bring if our work is left off the chart?Better systems, in the form of a universal electronic health record that all providers can write into, would mean:A deeper understanding of each provider’s contributionsClarity about the role each provider is playingElimination of duplicate workReal-time collaborationFewer delays in adjusting therapyMore consistent patient monitoring.Too many colleagues still see pharmacists only in our historic dispensing role. Without seamless communication, they miss our interventions and the countless times we prevent harm before it happens. And the truth is, we may also miss understanding what other team members contribute when their work is hidden from us.Until systems allow us to collaborate properly, we continue to fight an uphill battle for recognition. But when systems improve, perceptions will shift, because our contributions will be visible in every shared chart, every coordinated plan and every patient outcome.I’ve learned to fight my way through barriers one case at a time. But I imagine a future when communication flows freely.The path forward is clear: we need real-time collaboration, transparent documentation, and patient-centered communication built into the system itself. Until then, every provider will remain stuck in a silo, working harder than necessary to piece together fragments of care.If we want health care that is truly patient-centered, then we must design infrastructure that unites the circle of care. Collaboration cannot depend on faxes, phone calls and persistence—it must be hardwired. Building that system is both the policy challenge and the opportunity of our time.Jaclyn Katelnikof is a passionate community pharmacist, leader, and advocate dedicated to shaping the future of pharmacy through empowerment and innovation.