**Preface to "Embedded Pharmacists in Primary Care"**

The work environments and expectations for primary care physicians' daily activities include spending a significant amount on chronic care management, including managing complex medication regimens. Multiple resources have projected shortfalls in primary care providers in the United States. Ergo, a future should be envisioned where pharmacists are embedded in primary care settings, as primary care pharmacist practitioners (e.g., PCPPs). The benefits of such providers include enhanced medication adherence, fewer adverse drug-related events, reduced inappropriate healthcare utilization (e.g., emergency room visits, hospitalizations, office visits), improved clinical outcomes, total reduced cost of care (assessing pharmaceuticals as part of this), greater patient satisfaction, and higher CMS star ratings (thus impacting reimbursements).

Given the projected shortage of primary care providers (PCPs), the explosion of high-cost specialty pharmaceuticals, future use of pharmacogenomics in precision medicine, and value-based reimbursements, the addition of a pharmacist to most physician practices will be financially prudent, if not essential. Appropriately leveraging the role of the pharmacist in primary care settings to achieve better health outcomes in all patients and achieve not only the triple but quadruple aim is a value proposition worthy of exploration by all members of the healthcare team. This collection of works embody this spirit and desire to articulate and demonstrate the value of embedding pharmacists in primary care practice settings.

> **George E. MacKinnon III, Nathan Lamberton** *Editors*
