Expanding Access to Patient Care in Community Pharmacies for Minor Illnesses in Washington State.

Introduction: As the shortage of primary care providers widens nationwide, access to care utilizing non-physician providers is one strategy to ensure equitable access to care. This study aimed to compare community pharmacist-provided care for minor ailments to care provided at three traditional sites of care: primary care, urgent care, and emergency department, to determine if care provided by pharmacists improved access with comparable quality and reduced financial strain on the healthcare system. Methods: Pharmacy data was provided from 46 pharmacies and 175 pharmacists who participated across five pharmacy corporations over a 3-year period (2016-2019). Data for non-pharmacy sites of care was provided by a large health plan, matching episodes of care for conditions seen in the community pharmacy. Cost-of-care analysis was conducted using superiority study design and revisit data analysis was conducted using noninferiority study design. Results: Median cost-of-care across traditional sites of care was $277.78 higher than care provided at the pharmacies, showing superiority. Noninferiority was demonstrated for revisit care when the initial visit was conducted by a pharmacist compared to traditional sites. Discussion: The authors conclude community pharmacist-provided care for minor ailments improved cost-effective access for patients with comparable quality and reduced financial strains on the healthcare system.

Battling professional self-sabotage: Embracing standard of care as the future of pharmacy regulation.

Laws and regulations are intended to protect the public; however, overregulation of the profession can block initiatives focused on patient safety and public health. This article discusses the 3 main regulatory approaches to pharmacy practice: standard of care (SOC), bright line, and right touch. An SOC regulatory model supports practitioners delivering patient care within their scope of practice and clinical training. Patient safety is maintained by measuring care against other practitioners within the same practice setting while supporting practitioners practicing at the top of their clinical ability. Compared with bright line and right touch approaches, the SOC regulatory model provides the adaptability needed to respond to different practice scenarios and settings, thus increasing access to health care and opportunities for innovation. To have a lasting impact on the profession and support patients, all pharmacy professionals must be fluent in regulatory approaches and advocate for states to transition to SOC regulatory models.

Pandemic response in Alaska: Preparing pharmacists to lead vaccination efforts.

BACKGROUND: Despite the established efficacy of vaccines, many Alaskans choose not to be vaccinated, citing safety and efficacy concerns. Vaccine hesitancy, consistently ranked among the top 10, is one of most addressable global health threats. The main objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the steps taken by our team to help identify and address vaccine hesitancy by identifying unmet training needs and engaging pharmacists, pharmacy interns, and technicians in the development of tailored vaccine hesitancy education to improve vaccine confidence and vaccination rates among all Alaskans. METHODS: To determine the unmet training needs that contributed to vaccine hesitancy, an assessment survey was developed and administered to pharmacists across the state. RESULTS: An expert panel, composed of pharmacists across the state, was convened to review survey results and to establish a scalable health care provider training program. Adult-learning strategies and real-world examples were used to address pharmacist identified factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy and provide more tailored training to pharmacists and technicians in Alaska to help address factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy in patients that may be extending the pandemic. CONCLUSION: Pharmacy professionals are well positioned to respond to emerging threats, but more training and practice opportunities are required to get comfortable addressing vaccine hesitancy with established communication strategies.