The shifting role of the pharmacist
Pharmacists were once seen as a drug-dispensing function, even within hospital and health system settings. Now, with team members present in nearly every care setting, from hospitals and physician clinics to patients' homes and virtual environments, it is viewed as an enterprise. This evolution moves pharmacists onto the integrated care team, where they apply their deep knowledge of medication-related functions.
Their unique skill set combines clinical insight, drug administration knowledge, financial acumen, and operational experience, which allows them to not only have impact on care quality and patient outcomes, but on operational efficiency and financial outcomes as well.
Challenging financial dynamics of pharmacy
Integrating pharmacists more deeply into care teams can present financial hurdles, as their value is often demonstrated by preventing adverse events, a metric that is difficult to quantify. However, a systems-focused view reveals their significant impact on both cost savings and revenue growth.
Pharmacy can influence a health system’s total revenue by:
- Optimizing inventory management and navigating drug shortages.
- Managing high-cost specialty drug programs to balance clinical quality and cost.
- Diversifying reimbursement streams by enabling services like non-hospital-based infusion centers.
Despite these contributions, reimbursement models often fail to cover the clinical work pharmacists perform. According to Staci A. Hermann, PharmD, MS, FASHP, FACHE, Vice President, Embedded Clinical Decision Support Content at Wolters Kluwer Health, “it does take some creativity to figure out the financial model and show where pharmacies can add value.”
The value pharmacists bring to care outcomes and accessibility
Modern pharmacy teams are frequently focused on helping patients navigate complex care access issues. Some of the ways they contribute to better outcomes and experiences, include:
- Prior authorizations and coverage questions: By navigating coverage gaps and assisting with appeals on patients’ behalf, pharmacists improve patient satisfaction, accelerate access to care, and help solve efficiency issues.
- Assistance programs: Pharmacists help patients discover medication rebate, discount, and assistance programs that, in some cases, are vital to their access to treatment.
- Population health: By tracking at-risk groups of patients or reaching out to those in target groups for preventive care, pharmacists can help improve overall wellness with proactive information and reminders of needed immunizations, testing, and patient education.
Technology to support the modern pharmacist
Workforce shortages and burnout remain significant challenges, with many pharmacists reporting high stress levels and insufficient time for patient-focused tasks. Smart technology is essential for improving operational efficiency and allowing pharmacy staff to focus on higher-value clinical activities.
Evidence-based technology is crucial for streamlining access to drug and clinical intelligence. Unified solutions that provide point-of-care access to trusted, updated information help make professional workflows more efficient:
- UpToDate® Lexidrug™ provides pharmacists with the latest drug knowledge and patient-specific tools to support complex medication decisions directly within their workflow. It helps streamline tasks, enhance outcomes, and provide high-quality patient education.
- Medi-Span® powers meaningful medication alerts, using clinical screening based on the latest evidence to help pharmacists reduce errors, inappropriate dosing, and adverse events. By optimizing notifications, it helps lessen alert fatigue and allows pharmacists to focus on the information that matters most.
By using consistent, evidence-based solutions, care teams can standardize practices, reduce harmful variations, and streamline processes. This alignment is critical as pharmacists continue to expand their role in driving better patient care and access across the healthcare ecosystem.
Learn more in the eBook, “Redefining pharmacy: Contributing to patient care ecosystem-wide.”
