Workflow changes needed as pharmacies take on clinical roles

The University of Cincinnati's Michael Hegener was featured in Drug Topics discussing what workflow changes are essential to support the expansion of patient care services in community pharmacies.

Hegener said preventive care like immunizations have the biggest impact for patients, which was highlighted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Now, pharmacy across the board of the community setting is seen as a one-stop shop for all your vaccination needs," said Hegener, PharmD, director of the Wuest Family Pharmacy Practice Skills Center and associate professor of pharmacy in UC's James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy. "Moving forward, services will have a big impact...They most likely will be for chronic disease states where the patients need a little follow up, some extra care and more touch points with the pharmacist."

As these clinical roles expand for pharmacists, Hegener said workflows will need to change since most pharmacies are set up for the traditional model of dispensing medications only.

"For advanced patient care services, we'll need to move to more of an appointment-based model," he said. "Most likely, we'll still be able to do some things like immunizations on the spot when people ask. For some of those things like chronic disease state management, test to treat for strep throat and flu and common cold, we would likely need to have an appointment-based model to be able to have the resources and time to focus on that patient."

Read the Drug Topics interview.

Featured photo at top of a pharmacist speaking with a customer. Photo/Drazen Zigic/iStock.