Insights from Rebecca Liggon, PharmD, Director of Pharmacy Engagement, Workflow Services

Rebecca Liggon, PharmD, shares her journey from a high-volume retail pharmacy to becoming the Director of Pharmacy Engagement at Workflow Services. She discusses the growing role of pharmacists in community health, the challenges and rewards of the profession, and the exciting future ahead for pharmacy professionals. 

What made you want to become a pharmacist?  
I knew I wanted to go into healthcare, I love helping people. I had liked being active in the jobs that I was doing, even as a high schooler. I knew someone in pharmacy, and I wanted to study science while ultimately having a career where I could work with and help people. 

 
What made you want to join Workflow Services?  
After I graduated and began practicing pharmacy, I worked at a high-volume chain pharmacy, where I became a manager. However, despite my position, there was so much more I wanted to do for my patients. The way retail pharmacies were structured at the time, along with the industry's lack of provider status, meant the field wasn’t there yet. When I first encountered Workflow Services and learned about what they were doing, it felt like a pivotal moment—like pharmacy had finally arrived. It was everything I had envisioned for my career 28 years ago, and I was thrilled to help other pharmacists. I realized that my feelings were shared by many others in the field, and it was an exciting opportunity to help launch and support this new phase in pharmacy. 

 
What are some of the biggest challenges or the best aspects of being a pharmacist?  
One of the best aspects of being a pharmacist is the direct impact we can have on a patient's health. We are incredibly accessible, often being called the most trusted provider in the healthcare field.  

The potential for meaningful interactions is immense, and it's one of the most rewarding parts of the job. Patients tend to feel more relaxed in the pharmacy than they do in a clinical setting, which makes those casual interactions especially valuable. 

The challenge, however, is balancing the workload with the care we want to provide. Even during my time working in a large retail chain, the economic pressures from insurance companies and other factors weren’t as apparent, but pharmacy has always operated on tight budgets. Over time, we've addressed this by reducing staff, which has led to pharmacies being traditionally understaffed, even as patient volume continues to grow. It becomes increasingly difficult to manage the demand for prescriptions, which is the core of pharmacy business, while still providing the level of patient care that brings so much job satisfaction and joy to pharmacists. 
 

What’s something about being a pharmacist that would surprise most people?  
It’s much more than simply grabbing a bottle off the shelf, counting tablets, and putting a label on it. Even though the end goal is delivering medication to a patient, it often involves numerous calls to providers to reconcile potential issues, calls made to insurance company to resolve formulary issues, and spending time educating the patient on proper use. 
 

How would you describe the pharmacist's role in community health?  

We are accessible healthcare professionals. While we’re in the process of gaining provider status, it’s important to recognize that, even without that designation, we are still healthcare professionals.  

We have a wealth of knowledge and are highly accessible to the community. We play a vital role in preventative care, which we’ve seen most clearly with vaccines. We’re expanding our impact by managing chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension, as well as offering more preventative services, such as access to screenings for colon cancer and other health conditions. 

What trends are shaping the future of retail and clinical pharmacy?  
Technology and automation are having a big impact on retail pharmacy. Online pharmacies are significantly changing the landscape, which is opening the door to more clinical services and allowing for a deeper dive into medical billing in brick-and-mortar settings. 

 
How are pharmacists contributing to public health initiatives such as care gap programs?  
There’s a door that's becoming more visible for pharmacies. Starting with vaccine efforts, we’ve demonstrated that pharmacies can make a significant impact. We’re also in a great position to identify patients who are overdue for screenings. Given the strong relationship pharmacists have with patients, it makes perfect sense to expand our role in closing care gaps. 

 
How are patient expectations changing, and how can pharmacies adapt?  
Patients want convenience and are looking for more personalized care. With the rise of telehealth and online pharmacies, retail pharmacies now need to get creative and innovative by offering expanded services. This includes finding ways to personalize care, reduce wait times for traditional services, and provide digital tools to keep patients engaged. 

 
How does Workflow Services’ platform help pharmacists?  
Workflow Services helps pharmacists in two key ways. First, by streamlining clinical services that pharmacists want to offer, providing the structure they may be missing, and helping integrate these services into their workflows. Second, we streamline the medical billing process. Medical billing for clinical services is very different from traditional PBM billing for prescriptions, and it can be overwhelming, often preventing pharmacies from entering this new area. By offering streamlined clinical services—whether related to medical billing or not—we help pharmacies open up new revenue opportunities.

Is there a platform feature that you think is especially important?  
For pharmacies that are new to medical billing, our pre-built workflows are incredibly helpful. They provide the structure and guard rails needed to ensure pharmacists feel comfortable and confident, minimizing the risk of mistakes. Medical billing requires accuracy, and we want to ensure pharmacies remain compliant. These workflows guide users through each step, from collecting patient information to submitting claims, which is especially valuable for those new to medical billing. 

For those with more experience, we're launching the clinical visit template. This will allow pharmacists to innovate by identifying the specific needs of their patient communities and building customized templates to support them. These templates will provide the same structure as our pre-built workflows, streamlining the process so staff can easily perform clinical services and handle medical billing simultaneously. 

 
What's something that excites you about the future of pharmacy?  
I'm super excited about the recognition of pharmacists as providers. It's been a long time coming. We have a wealth of knowledge, similar to many of our counterparts in the provider realm, but we've never had the same recognition. I'm really excited about the opportunities this will create for pharmacists moving forward. 

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