In the aging society, the problem of the elderly's polypharmacy and medical expenses threaten not only the quality of life of elderly people but also become serious social problems. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the expertise of pharmacists can help the elderly to use appropriate medicines and reduce their medical expenses. From 2017, certified geriatric pharmacist has become an area of expertise in Board of Pharmacy Specialist. A qualified pharmacist should pass the BCGP and re-certify it every seven years to maintain eligibility. As of March 2018, there are about 3365 certified geriatric pharmacists in the US, mainly working in nursing homes, hospitals, and community pharmacies. In elderly welfare housing and elderly emergency rooms, certified geriatric pharmacists play a pivotal role. The United States has institutionalized a comprehensive coordination review of medicines taken by patients through MTM (Medication Therapy Management), TCM (Transitional Care Management) and CCM (Chronic Care Management) systems. This resulted not only in reducing the adverse drug reactions, readmission rates, and treatment costs, but also in improving the quality of life of elderly patients. The United States provides financial compensation for comprehensive care services and recognizes the expertise of certified geriatric pharmacists. In addition, various institutions provide training programs for pharmacists. Like the pharmacy specialist in the United States, it is also necessary to make specialist system of Korean pharmacist and make the certification process more complicated. It is also important to consider ways to provide comprehensive services for discharged patients, such as TCM and CCM in the United States. In order to improve the quality of life of elderly patients, it is necessary for the government to support the introduction of the certified geriatric pharmacists system in accordance with the domestic situation.

Keywords: Certified geriatric pharmacy specialist, Geriatric pharmacist, America, The United States, BCGP