LOCAL COLUMN
OPINION: Pharmacists can help bridge healthcare gaps
In her recent op-ed, physician assistant Sofia Stewart-Young (May 10 Sunday Journal) powerfully described the heartbreaking reality that many patients leave the clinic with a prescription they cannot afford. She is correct that affordability has become one of the greatest barriers to effective healthcare in America. But while pharmaceutical pricing reform deserves national attention, there is another important part of the solution already embedded within our healthcare system: pharmacists.
Pharmacists are among the most accessible healthcare professionals in the country. In communities across New Mexico 鈥� especially rural and underserved areas 鈥� pharmacists are often the healthcare provider patients see most frequently. Yet many people still view pharmacists primarily as dispensers of medication rather than as medication experts who can actively help patients navigate costs, improve outcomes and collaborate with prescribers to optimize care.
Every day, pharmacists work behind the scenes to prevent patients from abandoning treatment because of cost. They identify lower-cost therapeutic alternatives, recommend equally effective generic medications, help patients access manufacturer assistance programs and navigate increasingly complex insurance formularies. In many cases, pharmacists can identify opportunities to simplify medication regimens, reduce unnecessary duplication of therapy and improve adherence in ways that lower costs while improving health outcomes.
This collaborative relationship between pharmacists and prescribers is critical. Physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants understandably focus on diagnosis and treatment decisions during often brief clinical encounters. Pharmacists bring complementary expertise centered on medication management, affordability, adherence and safety. When pharmacists and prescribers work together, patients benefit from a more complete and practical approach to care.
Medication nonadherence remains one of the most costly public health challenges in America. Patients skip doses, split tablets or delay refills because they cannot afford treatment. The consequences are predictable: worsening chronic disease, increased emergency department visits, avoidable hospitalizations and higher long-term healthcare costs. Pharmacists are uniquely positioned to identify these problems early because they often see patients more regularly than any other healthcare provider.
New Mexico has long been a national leader in innovative pharmacy practice models. The state鈥檚 Pharmacist Clinician model demonstrates how pharmacists can work collaboratively with physicians and other providers to manage chronic diseases, adjust medications, order laboratory tests and provide direct patient care. These collaborative care models improve access to healthcare while allowing each member of the healthcare team to practice at the top of their training.
Importantly, pharmacists are not seeking to replace prescribing providers. The goal is partnership. Healthcare today is too complex for any one profession to solve these challenges alone. The best patient outcomes occur when prescribers and pharmacists function as coordinated members of the same healthcare team.
At the same time, policymakers should recognize that pharmacists can only fully contribute to solving these challenges if healthcare systems appropriately support and reimburse pharmacist-provided clinical services. Pharmacists routinely provide medication counseling, chronic disease management, adherence interventions and cost-saving recommendations that improve patient care and reduce overall healthcare expenditures. Yet these services are often undervalued or unreimbursed despite their proven benefit.
The conversation about prescription drug affordability should not focus solely on drug manufacturers, insurers or policymakers. It should also include the healthcare professionals already helping patients navigate these challenges every day. Pharmacists are an essential part of the solution.
Patients deserve a healthcare system where medications are both clinically appropriate and financially accessible. Achieving that goal will require stronger collaboration among all healthcare professionals, smarter use of pharmacist expertise and continued innovation in team-based care.
When pharmacists and prescribing providers work together, patients do not have to choose between their health and their finances. That is the kind of healthcare system New Mexicans deserve.
Donald A. Godwin is a professor and dean of the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy and has educated pharmacists in New Mexico for 30 years.
