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The problem with turning to pharmacists during a doctor shortage
- Washington Post
- Feb 17
- 1 min read
Pharmacists in many states remain legally prohibited from providing care they are trained to deliver; while an important step forward, the solution for patients and providers isn't that simple.
In an original op-ed for the Washington Post, titled "A solution to the doctor shortage could be just down the street," Tim Frost—a licensed pharmacist and senior fellow at the Cicero Institute—calls out pharmacists' lack of provider status. However, despite the fact that community pharmacists are currently and underutilized resource, making them providers under the law so that they may offer their patients more healthcare services is just one piece of the puzzle.
Pharmacies are facing increasing workplace stress and rates of closure due primarily to pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) abuse, and closed pharmacies aren't able to provide ANY services. Douglas J. Scheckelhoff, an interim executive vice president and CEO of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, points this out in a responsive letter to the editor. If pharmacies are to remain accessible and able to provide adequate care, we need reimbursement reform, first and foremost.
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