Pharmacists are one of the most accessible healthcare providers and they play a crucial role on the healthcare team. Most Americans live within a 5-mile radius of a pharmacy. Yet, many patients still have unmet chronic and preventive health needs.
For years, pharmacists and pharmacy organizations have been advocating for provider status, which would result in compensation of the services they are trained to offer because of their Doctor of Pharmacy-based education. Examples of these services include providing vaccinations and medication counseling.
As a patient, it is crucial to know that the pharmacist can help with other health needs.
Available on the front line as readily accessible healthcare providers, pharmacists can assist with additional aspects of disease prevention, patient education, health promotion, and prescribing medications within varying scopes of practice. In fact, many pharmacists are already doing all of this across the country in ambulatory care settings and in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
Slowly, community pharmacists are also gaining more responsibility. This includes many states allowing their community pharmacists to prescribe various classes of medications under collaborative practice agreements (CPAs). Some of these medication classes include, but are not limited to, oral contraceptives, blood pressure medications, insulin, smoking cessation aids, and more. For reference, every state in the United States has slightly different pharmacy practice laws.
Studies have shown that allowing pharmacists to practice at the top of their licenses not only helps patients, but it also saves money for patients and the government alike. For example, in one study dating all the way back to 1999, it was illustrated that for every $1 invested in clinical pharmacy services, more than $4 in benefit was seen in the Veteran Affairs. Also, in 2006, Kaiser Clinical Pharmacy Cardiac Risk Services illustrated that 92% of their patients had decreased cholesterol levels as a result of pharmacist-based interventions which saved more than $9 million in projected hospitalizations.
Despite pharmacists having the training and ability to provide this care, they are not being compensated for their efforts. Legislation needs to be better optimized on both the state and federal levels to allow pharmacists to reach their full potential for helping to improve patient care outcomes.
Under the Social Security Act, pharmacists are omitted as providers in Medicare B. Many private health insurance plans parallel their policies to Medicare B plans. Thus, pharmacist omission does not allow patients to receive comprehensive patient care through their insurance benefits. While pharmacy organizations and pharmacists across the country are advocating for change to provide patients with vital services, their campaign has been going on for years.
ACTION – as a patient or non-pharmacist in the healthcare system, research the senators and representatives relevant to your local area during the election. Know which candidates support pharmacists as part of the healthcare team. Know which ones have plans to decrease the spending of chronic medical conditions by providing more affordable and easier care. Pharmacists need the support of their patients to continue to provide the care and services to Americans across the country. By voting for officials that are pro-pharmacist, health outcomes for patients across the country can become better optimized. Pharmacists also need patients to write letters, pick up phones, and show legislators how their health has been impacted by pharmacist intervention.
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