Strategies Necessary to Correct the Trajectory of US Pharmacy Deserts

Amid continuous reports of closures and calls for industry-wide reform, US pharmacies are facing detrimental concerns of decreased patient access to essential medications and pharmacy services. While some industry stakeholders are continuing to define and understand the issue, others are attempting to address it, providing opportunities and strategies for correcting the growing concerns linked with US pharmacy deserts.

“I believe it's all of us,” Jennifer Zilka, senior vice president of community pharmacy solutions at Cencora and president of the Good Neighbor Pharmacy network, told Drug Topics. “It's crucial that pharmacies, trade organizations, advocates, peers, and even patients, relentlessly push for the changes that are needed to support the longevity of these pharmacies and the care that they provide to their patients. Community pharmacies are a huge part of the solution to combat these health care deserts.”

In part 1, Zilka was joined by various experts to discuss the issue of pharmacy deserts, how they’re being defined, and how they impact patient care across the US. Along with Zilka, Kyle Pudenz, DBA, and Michael Murphy, PharmD, MBA, are back for part 2 of our video series on US pharmacy deserts. Pudenz is the senior vice president of enterprise data and analytics at Cencora, while Murphy is an assistant professor of clinical pharmacy at the Ohio State University College of Pharmacy and advisor for state government affairs with the American Pharmacists Association.

“There's lots of different ways that you can try to pull the levers to try to showcase that there's a financial incentive,” said Murphy. “But that's one thing that we need to be thinking about, in addition to things like PBM reform and payment for pharmacist services, to ensure that we are seeing pharmacies reopen in locations where we're seeing these pharmacy deserts spread across the country right now.”

Turning the page and looking ahead, in part 2, the trio of experts discussed how these health care deserts are being addressed and what the best paths forward are for ensuring patient access and improving pharmacy sustainability. Watch the full video to learn how pharmacists as well as major industry-focused corporations are looking to improve patient access to US pharmacies.

In case you missed it, check out part 1 of our video series on US pharmacy deserts: How the Rise in US Pharmacy Deserts Impacts Patients’ Health

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