Workflow Services Calls for Broadening Scope of Pharmacies as Primary Providers in Whitepaper
Workflow Services recently published a paper that advocates for the permanent, expanded primary healthcare role for pharmacists.
Authored by Nancy Gagliano, MD, a former NIH official and current advisor to Workflow Services, the paper maps the complicated state-by-state regulations for pharmacies to deliver clinical services, which grew in scope during the pandemic for services such as test-to-treat therapies. Such treatments have proven popular with patients, as the $29 billion market in 2021 is expected to grow to $64.46 billion by 2029.
"When the pandemic overwhelmed the U.S. healthcare system, non-traditional settings like pharmacies stepped into a clinical role," writes Dr. Gagliano. "Patients received vaccinations and tests in parking lots, retail pharmacies, and other non-traditional locations. The healthcare system came up with creative solutions to improve accessibility for patients in a time of great need."
Yet as the pandemic recedes, the evolution of the pharmacy as a community healthcare hub is at risk. Many barriers block this type of reform, most of which are administrative in nature, stemming from a web of either legislative or payor complications. On the legislative side, pharmacists' scope of practice, authority, and practice roles vary from state to state. On the payor side, the documentation and reimbursement requirements for pharmacies to bill for medical services has not keep pace with the speed of market demand.
In the paper titled "From Pill Dispensaries to Healthcare Destinations: Overcoming Challenges Pharmacies Face in Becoming Community Health Hubs," Dr. Gagliano argues that the path to delivering point-of-care services in pharmacies healthcare has been unclear—but not impossible. She advocates for pharmacists to access a suite of tools that deliver end-to-end clinical services, such as a platform like Workflow Services, which in 2021 was a top-five data reporter to the CDC.
"Providing basic healthcare services within pharmacies makes tremendous sense as nearly 90% of Americans live within five miles of a pharmacy," writes Dr. Gagliano. "Our pharmacists are clinically trained at the doctoral level, and many have experience in primary and ambulatory care settings. Today, pharmacists represent the most accessible and most frequently visited members of healthcare, yet they are often overlooked. Tools like Workflow Services help to unlock their value to a community's health outcomes."
Dr. Gagliano's stance is rooted in over 35 years of diverse healthcare leadership roles, including as an executive leader of the National Institutes of Health's RADx Tech, a program focused on speeding the development, validation, and commercialization of innovative point-of-care and over-the-counter tests that detect the COVID-19 virus. Previously, she was a Senior VP at CVS Health in the role of Chief Medical Officer for MinuteClinic.