Access, Innovation, and the Changing Face of Pharmacy | PQA 2025
A conversation with Micah Cost, PharmD, MS, CAE, CEO of PQA, at PQA 2025.
Pharmacy is changing fast. Across the country, pharmacists are stepping up to offer more services and meet more patient needs. Patients increasingly view their local pharmacy not just as a place to pick up medications, but as a trusted place to get health care. This shift is opening up new opportunities, but also bringing new challenges.
One major change is the scope of practice. In many states, pharmacists can now offer more health services like vaccines, health screenings, and chronic disease management. As patients look for easier ways to access care, pharmacies can play a bigger role—especially in communities where healthcare access is limited.
Another big issue is how pharmacies get paid. The current reimbursement model is outdated. There’s growing interest in changing how we pay for both medications and services. Better payment models could improve patient outcomes and reduce health care costs. This is especially important as pharmacy leaders work to build a more sustainable business model.
At the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) 2025 Annual Meeting, held May 19 to 21 in Tampa, Florida, Drug Topics® sat down with Micah Cost, PharmD, MS, CAE, CEO of PQA, to discuss the biggest issues currently impacting pharmacy, key things community pharmacies can do to keep their doors open, and what he sees as critical for pharmacies to advance care, services and partnerships with payers for the benefit of patients.
“We need to make sure that pharmacy and the rest of the healthcare system align themselves together,” Cost said. “There's shared incentives, and [PQA is] focusing on things that the entire system sees as value. The opportunity for pharmacy to come in and say, “What are your biggest pain points, and how do we reduce those?” That's a great opportunity to solve a health plans issue, but also to solve a patient's issue. For the good of the patients, focusing on the shared incentives is one of the most important things that I think pharmacy can do, and a lot of that comes through conversation.”
