Pharmacists Can Improve Clinical Services, Patient Outcomes as Payer Models Evolve | NCPA 2025

With fee-for-service payer models gradually becoming commonplace in community pharmacy, as well as value-based care on the rise within health care as a whole, it’s on pharmacists to navigate the medical billing landscape with the proper precautions and approaches to maximize their business’ sustainability.

“Whenever [pharmacies are] billing for services, we're billing for an office visit, we're billing for [point-of-care testing],” Jennifer Griffin, PharmD, MS, clinical pharmacist at Harps Food Stores, Inc, told Drug Topics at the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) 2025 Annual Convention & Expo. “Those are going to be more getting paid for our services. And then, on the other hand, you can also have different value-based models where you're getting paid for more of the patient outcomes.”

Following her continuing education session titled “Which Code Is It Anyway? Understanding Medical Billing Lingo and Implementing Revenue Cycle Strategies That Work” at NCPA 2025, Drug Topics caught up with Griffin to understand the nuances behind medical billing and the multiple types of payer engagement models.

In part 3 of our interview with her, Griffin breaks down the differences in value-based and fee-for-service clinical care. Then, to cap off the discussion, she explored community pharmacists’ overarching and innate ability to maneuver both patient outcomes as well as the administrative tasks required to successfully run an independent pharmacy.

Learn from a practicing pharmacist and business leader with insights into a pharmacy group operating close to 40 locations across Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri.

Read more of our coverage from NCPA 2025.

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