Association Perspective
Thomas E. Menighan, BSPharm, MBA, ScD (Hon), FAPhA, EVP and CEO
It’s not that issues in pharmacy haven’t progressed—they have: APhA met with the Federal Trade Commission on vertical mergers; states continue their journeys toward provider status; advocacy against DIR fees continues; and as far as we know at the time of writing, oral arguments for the PBM case at the Supreme Court, Rutledge v Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, will be heard soon in a case that could change the way PBMs do business.
These things matter tremendously to pharmacists, patients, and the future of the pharmacy profession. Pharmacists’ role in the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic matters more than any of them, and all of them will be affected by that response in ways large and small.
Is this the new normal, or is it an aberration?
APhA made the painful decision to cancel our Annual Meeting, APhA2020. The last time we did that was during World War II. We remain determined to provide the world-class education that meeting attendees would have received at the meeting, and you’ll see our innovative methods to achieve that goal in the coming weeks through virtual offerings of our best-in-class CPE. While we do lots of virtual CPE, this massive offering is a bit uncharted. I know we’ll grow from it in long-lasting ways.
The bigger story, and the one we hope will similarly have a long-lasting effect on health care, is what pharmacists did, could have done, and should have done in the face of a worldwide crisis.
Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have stepped up. The stories of their heroic service will be told forever.
They are facing drug shortages and needlessly complicated administrative burdens. They will be called to test for COVID-19, if our decision makers know what’s best for the country. They will educate patients and communities as complicated and often contradictory information becomes available. At some point—we hope soon—they will be a major part of massive immunization efforts. These will be incredibly valuable to our public health, yet we’ve got to keep these front-line heroes safe, too!
APhA has delivered the message that America’s pharmacists stand ready to provide patient care, whether for coronavirus or other health care needs, but they can best serve patients if barriers to access to medications from their pharmacy of choice are removed immediately. We’ve engaged pharmacy chains to map out how pharmacists can and should be involved in combating this disease. We’ve worked to provide pharmacists with necessary training and to ensure they have the personal protective equipment to stay safe and effective. We’ve illustrated that times like these are precisely why provider status is crucial.
When APhA fights for you, we’re fighting for the health of this nation. Thank you for all you do.