What You Should Know:
– A new report by Surescripts®, a health information network, sheds light on the evolving role of pharmacists in the healthcare landscape. The report, titled “Clinician Perspectives & Prescribing Patterns Reveal Opportunities for Care Team Evolution,” highlights key findings on clinician burnout, medication costs, and pharmacist prescribing trends.
– The report is based on a survey conducted by Surescripts in partnership with APCO Insight™. The survey gathered insights from over 500 pharmacists and prescribers on their perspectives about the healthcare industry. Additionally, Surescripts analyzed e-prescribing trends from 2019 to 2023.
Burnout and Cost Pressures Dominate Concerns
- Pharmacists and other clinicians overwhelmingly identified prescription medication costs (85%) and burnout (76% and 72%) as the top two challenges they face.
- This data underscores the strain on healthcare providers and the need for innovative solutions.
Shifting Landscape: Pharmacists Poised for Expanded Roles
- There’s a growing consensus on expanding pharmacists’ roles in patient care.
- Since 2023, a significant increase in both pharmacists (75% vs 65%) and other clinicians (29% vs 26%) who believe pharmacists can take on more primary care duties.
- This aligns with patient needs, as only 36% of pharmacists feel they can currently offer patients the full scope of care needed.
Information Sharing Hurdles Hinder Collaboration
- Pharmacists place a higher priority on connecting with other clinicians through centralized patient information systems (85% vs 57%).
- Secure and confidential information sharing remains a challenge for both pharmacists (46%) and other clinicians (31%).
- This highlights the need for improved communication infrastructure to foster collaboration within care teams.
E-Prescribing by Pharmacists on the Rise
- Surescripts’ analysis shows a 13% increase in e-prescriptions issued by pharmacists between 2022 and 2023.
- The number of pharmacists e-prescribing also jumped by 28.8% during the same period.
- Notably, California, New Mexico, and New York lead the nation in pharmacist-issued e-prescriptions.
Focus on Chronic and Mental Health Conditions
- The top e-prescribing pharmacists use Surescripts’ network to prescribe medications for various conditions, with a focus on:
- Diabetic therapies
- Medications for mental health conditions (psychoanaleptics and psycholeptics)
The Road Ahead: Policy and Reimbursement
- Surescripts emphasizes that patient demand for broader pharmacist services exists, but reimbursement and access to patient data are crucial.
- Dr. Shannon Reidt, Director of Medication Research and Analytics at Surescripts, stresses the importance of policy changes to utilize pharmacists’ full potential, particularly amidst primary care provider shortages.
- Expanding pharmacists’ roles in managing chronic conditions and providing test-to-treat services for minor illnesses is seen as a key solution.
“This new data shows that patients are driving demand for pharmacists to provide a broader range of clinical care services closer to home, but they need to be reimbursed for these services and gain access to key patient insights to ensure they can provide better quality, safe and less costly care,” said Shannon Reidt, PharmD, MPH, MS, BCPS, Director Medication Research and Analytics for Surescripts. “Given the primary care provider shortages we are seeing, it’s becoming more critical to advance policies that allow pharmacists to care for patients at the full scope of their education and training – which includes medication management for patients with chronic conditions and provide test-to-treat services for patients for routine illnesses.”
