18 Policy
Pharmacy Practice News • February 2022
Pharmacy Practice
ASHP Foundation’s Pharmacy Forecast 2022:
Challenges, Opportunities Amid Ongoing Pandemic By Karen Blum
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Positive responses, %
100 harmacists will have 81 plenty of opportuni80 67 ties to expand their scope 55 60 of practice by pushing for 40 provider status, assessing patients for social deter20 minants of health (SDOH), 0 helping in emergency preAdapt speCollaborate with Make the develcialty/other manufacturers on opment of new paredness, managing drug new pod demand contractcare models a shortages and demonstratstructures ing, regional wareperformance housing and other expectation ing value through new supply-chain surge strategies. service lines or business ventures, according to the Figure. Key responses on agility ASHP Foundation’s Pharand resilience. macy Forecast for 2022. The 10th edition of the 87% of panelists predicted health systems forecast, presented at the ASHP 2021 Midyear Clinical Meeting will partner with community organizaand Exhibition, held virtually, and pub- tions to address healthcare disparities in lished in the American Journal of Health- their communities. Regarding the use of technology, 73% System Pharmacy (2022;79[2]:23-51), surof panelists said advanced data analytics veyed 311 pharmacy leaders nationwide. The 2022 report focused on five will be used by health systems to address domains: delivering value to stakehold- healthcare disparities, and 62% indicated ers; addressing access, disparities and that virtual assistant devices or healthequity; reimagining health systems for care mobile apps will allow patients to agility and resilience; building work- have access to a pharmacist for medicaforce capability; and honing pharmacy tion education and counseling. Meanwhile, 84% of panelists said the U.S. public preparedness. health infrastructure would expand roles Access, Disparities and Equity for pharmacists in preparedness planThe COVID-19 pandemic pushed the ning, vaccine administration, screening need to address healthcare disparities for diseases and health coaching; and 78% and equity to the forefront, the authors said innovative scheduling and remote said, with limited access to care high- work solutions will be required to recruit lighted by the initial rollout of vaccines. and retain pharmacy team members. As part of new legislation limiting Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are skilled and positioned to address surprise medical bills for patients, 63% SDOH and their effect on care access, of panelists said pharmacists will be and can work to improve population required to advise patients on medica-
demic be made a permanent part of the scope of pharmacy practice; • including pharmacists in transitions of care medication services; • allocating pharmacy labor resources to lead medication assistance program access and assist patients with medication affordability and adherence; and • collaborating with health plans and state agencies to continue establishing value-based care initiatives that include pharmacist-led comprehensive medication management services.
Agility and Resilience “In our lifetime, the healthcare system has not faced this amount or duration of stress and challenges as we have over the last 22 months from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Michelle Wiest, PharmD, BCPS, the vice president of pharmacy services for UC Health, in Cincinnati, while introducing the agility and resilience section. “Agility and resilience are paramount for health systems to be successful and to respond to patient care needs.” Pharmacists demonstrated these capabilities during the public health emergency through methods such as evaluating emerging COVID-19 drug therapies to rapidly make patient care decisions, adjusting workflows to protect staff and preserve personal protective equipment, and managing numerous drug shortages. As such, 87% of panelists said health-system pharmacists will be essential providers in regional and national emergency preparedness response evaluation and planning.
‘We need to continue pushing institutions to invest in technologies. COVID-19 showed us ways in which we can provide care and medication management service without necessarily being at the bedside.’ —Vivian Johnson, PharmD, MBA health. However, policy changes, such as adopting new payment models, are required to optimize pharmacists’ roles. Pharmacists have had a long-standing role in public health, but only half of surveyed panelists indicated that pharmacists and pharmacy technicians will systematically screen patients for SDOH, said committee member Leyner Martinez, PharmD, MHA, the director of pharmacy services at Baptist Hospital of Miami. Adequate training is needed to expand services around these efforts, Dr. Martinez said. However, 64% of panelists expect that standard measures will be developed and widely used to assess equity of care, and
tion affordability and mediation assistance programs. In addition, 71% said payors will link value-based savings to improving health equity measures— another area where pharmacists can help lead initiatives, Dr. Martinez noted. Overall, Dr. Martinez and her colleagues recommended that practice leaders support efforts for pharmacists to receive advanced independent provider status, and adopt analytical programs to assess and screen for SDOH to enhance medication management. Other recommendations include: • advocating that state and federal policy changes made during the pan-
Right-sizing staff based on unpredictable patient acuity loads and managing staff shortages and burnout also will play a role, panelists said, with 70% agreeing that pharmacy departments will maintain such contingency plans in at least 50% of hospitals. In addition, most panelists said developing new models of care and services will be a performance expectation of health-system pharmacy leaders (Figure). Dr. Wiest and her colleagues recommend that pharmacy leaders urge health-system pharmacists to: • participate in local and national interdisciplinary public health teams;
• integrate technology and workforce data to develop patient care models that optimize patient outcomes; and • engage in distribution relationships that encourage a stable pharmacy supply chain. They also said that pharmacists should become competent in the use of wearable health metric devices and invest in new models of patient care with pharmacists as key providers of health services.
Delivering Value Pharmacists will be called upon to demonstrate value to stakeholders, including health systems, provider networks and payors, said Vivian Johnson, PharmD, MBA, the senior vice president of clinical services for Parkland Health and Hospital System, in Dallas. “Right now, we’re viewed as one of the most accessible professionals, because we are in the community,” she said. Some 92% of panelists said pharmacy leaders will add new service lines or business ventures to increase revenues, and 79% said the pharmacy department will significantly contribute to revenues. This could include greater pharmacist involvement in integrated practices, transitions of care, ambulatory care settings, hospital at-home programs or population health programs. Health-system pharmacies will be recognized as preferred sites of care for delivery of new complex therapies, according to 77% of panelists, and 94% said pharmacy departments will lead strategies to manage the financial impact of high-cost medications in 50% of health systems. Although 71% said health systems will invest in digital health solutions and artificial intelligence technology to improve medication management, Dr. Johnson said that number needs to be higher. “We need to continue pushing institutions to invest in technologies,” she said. “COVID-19 showed us ways in which we can provide care and medication management service without necessarily being at the bedside.” A copy of the full report is available at www.ashpfoundation.org/research/ pharmacy-forecast. The sources reported no relevant financial disclosures.
Watch our video interviews about the forecast at https://www.pharmacy practicenews.com/ Multimedia
