Provider Status

I think as pharmacy students and future pharmacists, this is a question that has crossed all of our minds at some point: Will pharmacist be able to prescribe? Currently, only clinical pharmacists can prescribe through the use of a collaboration agreement can prescribe prescription medications. This is something that has intrigued me and is part of why I want to become a clinical pharmacist. However, what if all pharmacist had the power to prescribe? How would this change the landscape of healthcare? How much more training would pharmacists require and how much would pharmacy school change as a result?

These are all questions I have thought to myself when I think about this topic. Currently, it is without a doubt that pharmacist are the most accessible healthcare professionals in America. It was found that, on average, patients go to their community pharmacy about 35 times per year but only see their primary care physician 4 times. This is a huge difference and part of this is because pharmacists’ duties and roles continue to expand, such as with providing vaccinations. Unfortunately, at least in my opinion, the main reason why patients go to the community pharmacy more often is because it is quicker, and they do not have to pay to speak with the pharmacist as pharmacists are currently not reimbursed for their services. 

As we have talked about throughout this class, there are many issues associated with healthcare in this country. One we haven’t discussed is a looming physician shortage. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, it is estimated that by the year 2030, there will be 100,000 fewer doctors than the US will need to meet demand. In addition to this, we know that healthcare costs are only continuing to rise year by year. Is giving pharmacists provider status a potential solution to this?