The changing organization of the healthcare industry means that healthcare consumers routinely interact with many kinds of professionals. However, consumers are not alone in coping with the changes that are occurring in healthcare today. Many professionals have experienced changes in their traditional roles as well.
Pharmacists now do more than dispense medications prescribed by physicians.
Clinical psychologists , once trained to perform psychotherapy, may now practice behavioral medicine as well. Rather, they are members of large corporate enterprises, sometimes operating for profit. Prescribed treatments must have demonstrated efficacy. And, selection among effective treatments must be guided by considerations of cost and efficiency. P atients are no longer passive recipients of healthcare services.