Recent pharmacy closures and ECAPS legislation

Like so many of you, we’ve been continuing to follow reports in the media about pharmacy closures. It seems like each of those stories focuses on the obvious downside to the closures—a local place to get prescriptions filled is going away. While the inconvenience of having to get prescriptions filled miles away can be substantial, this only scratches the surface of the problem. Every time a pharmacy closes, patients lose access to their trusted pharmacist. It’s the pharmacy personnel who add tremendous value to the health care equation locally.  

Pharmacists are frequently the only health care professional in rural and even some urban communities. Pharmacy closures disproportionately affect underserved and marginalized communities who are already at a higher risk of health disparities. This leaves many people more vulnerable to complications from acute and chronic conditions that were previously managed by their pharmacist.  

This is why APhA is championing the Equitable Community Access to Pharmacy Services (ECAPS) Act legislation in Congress (H.R. 1770/S 2477). Because Americans are losing access to their pharmacists at an alarming rate, Congress must take action. ECAPS would provide coverage under Medicare for pharmacist services that older adults have come to expect from their pharmacist—immunizations and testing and treatment for common respiratory illnesses such as the flu, strep, and COVID-19. Without coverage, older adults may no longer be able to access these services from their pharmacist. 

APhA recognizes that the pharmacy workforce faces challenges with burnout, stress, and work–life balance in the workplace. When a pharmacy closes, other pharmacies in the area face an increased burden of dispensing medicines and caring for the community. Coverage of pharmacist services through ECAPS would provide a consistent payment to pharmacists for their services—not just the drugs they dispense—meaning that the pharmacy can afford to have support staff and implement technology to ensure access to prescription medicines. Pharmacists can then focus on the activity they do best—caring for their patients.  

Pharmacists are the MVPs of local health care. It’s time that Congress take action to ensure coverage for pharmacists’ services under ECAPS so that trusted professional pharmacy personnel have the time to spend with their patients and improve the health of their communities.  

 For every pharmacist. For all of pharmacy.  

 Michael Hogue and Brigid Groves