by Polina Kogan, EVP and Chief Pharmacy Officer, EmpiRx Health
October is American Pharmacist Month, a time when I, along with my fellow pharmacists, get to reflect on our role in patients’ care and the contributions we make to healthcare in general. Many people mainly know pharmacists as the healthcare professionals who fill their prescriptions at the local pharmacy. However, the role of the pharmacist has grown significantly over the last few decades. While filling prescriptions is still a critical task, many pharmacists like me work in a wide array of non-traditional roles, including pharmacy benefits management, health plans, pharmacy consulting, Medication Therapy Management (MTM) programs, and pharmaceutical manufacturers.
A major reason for this growing role is the trust that people have in pharmacists. In various national surveys, pharmacists have consistently ranked as one of the most trusted healthcare professionals.
During the pandemic, the role of pharmacists grew exponentially in importance. During that time, pharmacists were often the primary healthcare contacts for patients who couldn’t visit their doctors because of the risk of contracting COVID. Pharmacists administered vaccines and dispensed tests, managed patients’ medication plans, and provided essential healthcare advice during a very scary time for patients. Eventually, the pandemic receded, but the changes to the pharmacist role have remained – many pharmacies now offer clinics and services that make healthcare more accessible.
Pharmacists Now Play a Central Role in Pharmacy Benefits Care
At EmpiRx Health, pharmacists are at the center of our unique pharmacy care model. Our clinical pharmacists play a critical role in managing complex medication regimens for our clients’ members, helping to improve patients’ health outcomes while controlling pharmacy costs
Practicing at the top of their license, EmpiRx Health’s pharmacists collaborate with healthcare providers identifying the best therapeutic regiments for the patients, reviewing a patient’s entire medication profile and other information available for them, ensuring that every prescription aligns with their overall health goals. It’s a major shift from the traditional view of what pharmacists do, but it’s one that allows pharmacists to have a more direct impact on patient care.
One of the most valuable aspects of putting pharmacists at the center of pharmacy care is having a holistic view of a patient’s health. While doctors may focus on specific conditions and treatments, pharmacists get to see the bigger picture, with access to a patient’s full prescription history, particularly in pharmacy benefits management (PBM) settings. The clinical pharmacist is in a unique position to spot potential drug interactions, side effects, or opportunities to streamline a patient’s therapy.
A Clinically-Driven Model of Pharmacy Care
In the traditional PBM approach, pharmacists are relegated to administrative roles. But in a clinically-driven pharmacy care model like the one we use at EmpiRx Health, the pharmacist’s role goes well beyond simply switching from one drug to a cheaper alternative. I see first-hand the impact EmpiRx Health pharmacists have on improving patient care and quality of life. Leveraging EmpiRx Health’s proprietary population health engine, our clinical pharmacists are able to evaluate patients’ unique needs and risk factors. They monitor claims and prescriptions in real-time and conduct end-to-end clinical reviews to identify situations where a patient might benefit from a dose adjustment or where a therapy could be simplified.
For example, our pharmacists frequently reach out to physicians on behalf of the patient to adjust doses, minimize side effects, recommend newer, lower cost alternatives (such as biosimilars), or even stop medications that are no longer needed. For example, a pharmacist may collaborate with a prescriber after recognizing that a patient is in remission and may no longer need chemotherapy, potentially saving the patient from unnecessary side effects and improving their quality of life. This ensures the most clinically appropriate, cost-efficient medication therapies to optimize patient care and reduce costs.
The ability to see beyond individual prescriptions and focus on the patient as a whole is what sets clinically-driven pharmacy care apart from more traditional, transactional PBM models. It puts the pharmacist back in pharmacy benefits management and prioritizes the health and wellbeing of patients.
As we celebrate American Pharmacist Month, I’m proud to be part of a profession that continues to grow and adapt to meet the needs of patients and the thousands of organizations that sponsor their health benefits plans. Whether we are working in a community pharmacy, a hospital, or in a PBM setting like EmpiRx Health, we know that our role is vital to ensuring patients receive the best possible care.
This month, and every month, I’m grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in patients’ lives. And I hope that American Pharmacist Month helps shine a light on the essential contributions of pharmacists across the healthcare system.
