OmniSYS, XiFin webinar focuses on how the industry can propel pharmacy forward

Drug Store News hosted XiFin’s “Forging the Future of Pharmacy” webinar, featuring: 

• Marc Watkins, chief medical officer of Kroger Health; 
• Brigid Groves, vice president, of professional affairs at the American Pharmacists Association; 
• Bob Siggins; senior policy advisor at Alston & Bird; 
• Nick Garlow, managing director, Rational 360; and
• Joseph Albright, AVP, commercial pharmacy at Blue Cross North Carolina. 

David Pope, chief pharmacy officer of XiFin, was the moderator. 

Pope opened the discussion by asking Watkins to address the current healthcare landscape and to explain why pharmacists are well positioned to address the access to care issue.

Watkins cited a recent publication by the Association of American Medical Colleges, that finds that by 2036 we will have about an 86,000 physician shortage in the United States, with that being 30,000 primary care physicians  

"Access to care is the number one determinant of health. We will have a shortage of physicians. There’s a silver lining, through the pandemic we saw how the pharmacist stepped up and we saw how they really were part of that infrastructure that could be part of part of a care delivery model. Today, one of the things facing this county, is that we have such an exponential issue with chronic disease, obesity being one of them. Pharmacists are well positioned to begin to address chronic disease in a very unique way because of the accessibility they have in the communities they serve," Watkins said.

Watkins emphasized that today, pharmacists serve an incredible role in creating opportunities to deliver access to care. "That will be the largest determinant of health. They have to be part of the equation moving forward," he said.

Albright took Watkins' thoughts one step further, emphasizing that there’s also a role of the pharmacist as an entryway into the healthcare system. "With pharmacists being so accessible when it comes to affordability, pharmacists play a big role in not just the out-of-pocket, but they can play a critical role in the premium side, what’s coming out of paychecks and what’s coming out of state and federal coffers by supporting appropriate sites of care," Albright said. 

Albright added that access to care at appropriate sites can keep monthly premium costs down. "That’s an incredible value from the payer perspective," Albright said.   

The discussion proceeded with Groves predicting where pharmacy practice is headed in the next three to five years.

"We know our pharmacists are experts and trained in medication, improving patient health and outcomes overall for patients and the healthcare system as a whole. Pharmacy is the third largest profession and the second most trained health professional behind physicians. The locations are highly accessible," she said. 

After noting that pharmacists practice in a variety of settings, Groves said, "The future of pharmacy is evolving to a team-based care model. From a national standpoint, we’re seeing the evolution of the scope of practice to align with education and training. We’ll see more states including pharmacists scope to additional services they can provide, testing for chronic conditions and ordering treatment for conditions where authorized. As we look into the next three to five years, the pharmacist as part of a team-based care model is where we’re evolving and looking into going." 

Watkins added his views on the future, stating, “When we start using terms like, 'inappropriate ER utilization,' that’s usually a proxy to 'lack of access of care.'"  

Watkins noted that pharmacies can step in and provide a whole array of services that otherwise are not being taken care of today. "Six out of 10 Americans have a chronic disease, and four out of 10 have more than two. If we put every pharmacist, doctor, and nurse to use, we have a huge problem with chronic diseases. We’re one of the worst in quality in developed nations. We are last on the quality list. We’re barely tapping the training and competency of pharmacists to help bend that curve."

The discussion continued with Siggins addressing the positive state of the Equitable Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act legislation advancing at the federal level and the importance of the Future of Pharmacy Care Coalition in support of ECAPS. 

This bill expands Medicare coverage to permanently include services provided by a pharmacist, including incidental services and supplies, related to testing, drug regimens and vaccines for COVID-19, influenza and certain other illnesses.

Siggins emphasized how ECAPS would provide coverage for seniors vulnerable to these conditions and payment for pharmacists for delivering these services. "It’s a critical bill for seniors and their access to services and for pharmacists who were called upon during the pandemic to deliver these services absence of reimbursement to open up another revenue stream and expand their ability to provide these services."

Pointing out that there are currently strong bills supporting ECAPS in both the House and Senate now, Siggins is optimistic that the bill could pass at year-end. 

Garlow took the discussion one step further talking about the over 190 groups across communities who support the ECAPS bill, noting that storytelling is crucial to get the bill passed. 

“We’ve heard stories from pharmacists who talk about the value of work they did during the pandemic and flu season and the key moments for individuals who had no alternative to pharmacy to get treatment. Throughout this effort our coalition worked with individual pharmacists to be the support system to tell the story to lawmakers," Garlow said. 

Lastly, Groves provided a glimpse at what is happening on the state level, noting that it is essential "we make sure at the state level, the authority is in place for pharmacists to provide and deliver those services. APhA collaborates with the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations and state pharmacy associations and organizations to make sure we help support and put into place legislative changes we need to occur," Groves said.

To view the entire webinar, click here.