Feds Try to Get to Bottom of Shortage Question
APhA Supports Effort to Examine Pharmacist Supply and Demand
Is there a pharmacist shortage or isn't there?
To try to get a handle on the question, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has begun a study to "offer a starting point for addressing problems if it shows supply cannot meet the demand for pharmacists." The agency invited comments and resource information from interested parties: APhA, among others, responded. HRSA's National Center for Healthcare Workforce Information and Analysis is conducting the study and expects to issue a report to Congress in December.
The agency review will include:
Years of Data Shared
APhA, which has gathered information about the changing role, responsibilities, and practice trends of pharmacists over the years, summarized key findings in its comments to HRSA.
"The information provided by APhA will assist HRSA in its efforts to quantify the pharmacist shortage in the United States," said APhA Executive Vice President John A. Gans, PharmD. "APhA has developed many resources over the past several years that will provide vital information on the evolving role of the pharmacist and the value of pharmaceutical care to patients. We hope that the documents prepared and submitted by the Association will help to frame the global issues for this national report on the pharmacist shortage." Supplementing APhA's response were the recent report, Implementing Effective Change in Meeting the Demands of Community Pharmacy Practice in the United States; the results of demonstration projects, such as Project ImPACT: Hyperlipidemia; videotapes highlighting the benefits of pharmaceutical care; and relevant newspaper articles.
Possible Shortage Factors
APhA also provided feedback on salaries, automation, the use of technicians, the ways in which pharmacies and employers are addressing the shortage issue, and the impact of managed care and third party coverage.
"Arguably, processing managed care or third party prescriptions is one of the greatest frustrations for pharmacists practicing in the community setting," the Association asserted. "Dealing with the administrative burdens created by inconsistent and confusing prescription drug cards creates unnecessary barriers to pharmacists' providing care to their patients. Another challenge for practicing pharmacists is the unnecessary, outdated, and inaccurate information provided by pharmacy computer and online systems from software vendors and third party payers."
As possible solutions to these practice barriers, APhA mentioned its crusade to ensure the use of a standardized prescription benefit card and its work with USP in developing a plan that will enhance the effectiveness of prospective DUR to ensure the appropriateness of drug therapy.
Included in the materials that APhA shared with HRSA were reports of significant incentives being offered to pharmacists to attract them to work in certain geographic areas or practice settings, examples of store closures because of inadequate pharmacy personnel, and quality of worklife assessments that detail potential reasons for pharmacist shortages in certain practice settings.
APhA Supports Effort to Examine Pharmacist Supply and Demand
Is there a pharmacist shortage or isn't there?
To try to get a handle on the question, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has begun a study to "offer a starting point for addressing problems if it shows supply cannot meet the demand for pharmacists." The agency invited comments and resource information from interested parties: APhA, among others, responded. HRSA's National Center for Healthcare Workforce Information and Analysis is conducting the study and expects to issue a report to Congress in December.
The agency review will include:
Vacancy rates for pharmacist jobs, delayed store openings or reduction in store hours, signing bonuses and other hiring incentives, and wage increases.
Difficulty that communities may be experiencing in accessing pharmacy services, especially in rural or underserved areas.
Limitations on, state laws governing, and certification requirements for the use of technicians to fill prescriptions.
Impact of managed care and third party coverage of prescriptions on pharmacy practice.
Problems or adverse events connected with a shortage of pharmacists.
Impact that a drug benefit for Medicare patients might have on prescription volume and pharmacist demand.
Use of technology to assist pharmacists, streamline the dispensing process, or improve pharmacist efficiency.
Impact of Internet and mail service pharmacies on the demand for pharmacists.
The current pharmacist education process -- especially the number of applications to pharmacy programs, the effect that the shift to the doctor of pharmacy degree may be having on pharmacist supply, trends in graduates taking residencies, and student job preferences.
Years of Data Shared
APhA, which has gathered information about the changing role, responsibilities, and practice trends of pharmacists over the years, summarized key findings in its comments to HRSA.
"The information provided by APhA will assist HRSA in its efforts to quantify the pharmacist shortage in the United States," said APhA Executive Vice President John A. Gans, PharmD. "APhA has developed many resources over the past several years that will provide vital information on the evolving role of the pharmacist and the value of pharmaceutical care to patients. We hope that the documents prepared and submitted by the Association will help to frame the global issues for this national report on the pharmacist shortage." Supplementing APhA's response were the recent report, Implementing Effective Change in Meeting the Demands of Community Pharmacy Practice in the United States; the results of demonstration projects, such as Project ImPACT: Hyperlipidemia; videotapes highlighting the benefits of pharmaceutical care; and relevant newspaper articles.
Possible Shortage Factors
APhA also provided feedback on salaries, automation, the use of technicians, the ways in which pharmacies and employers are addressing the shortage issue, and the impact of managed care and third party coverage.
"Arguably, processing managed care or third party prescriptions is one of the greatest frustrations for pharmacists practicing in the community setting," the Association asserted. "Dealing with the administrative burdens created by inconsistent and confusing prescription drug cards creates unnecessary barriers to pharmacists' providing care to their patients. Another challenge for practicing pharmacists is the unnecessary, outdated, and inaccurate information provided by pharmacy computer and online systems from software vendors and third party payers."
As possible solutions to these practice barriers, APhA mentioned its crusade to ensure the use of a standardized prescription benefit card and its work with USP in developing a plan that will enhance the effectiveness of prospective DUR to ensure the appropriateness of drug therapy.
Included in the materials that APhA shared with HRSA were reports of significant incentives being offered to pharmacists to attract them to work in certain geographic areas or practice settings, examples of store closures because of inadequate pharmacy personnel, and quality of worklife assessments that detail potential reasons for pharmacist shortages in certain practice settings.