Total Pharmacy: Most Read Stories From 2024
Check out this list of our top 5 most read Total Pharmacy stories from the year 2024.
Independent Pharmacies Continue to Face Financial Hardships as the Clock Ticks on PBM Reform
In the Total Pharmacy journal’s April issue, contributors looked toward the future of independent pharmacy and how end-of-2023 provisions under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) would impact pharmacy reimbursement in 2024. In a move meant to create more transparency for Medicare Part D prescription drug pricing, independents were hit with direct and indirect remuneration (DIR) fees at the start of 2024 while simultaneously dealing with declining reimbursements for medications dispensed.
Top read Total Pharmacy stories from the year 2024 | image credit: Jojo / stock.adobe.com
Bipartisan Lawmakers Signal Support for H.R. 1770
H.R. 1770 is also referred to as the Equitable Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act, designed to ensure access of pharmacy services for older individuals. “The Future of Pharmacy Care Coalition applauds the 100 Representatives—and more than a dozen of their colleagues in the Senate—for recognizing the need to ensure Medicare beneficiaries maintain access to essential care and services provided by pharmacists,” wrote the coalition.
As biosimilar products have slowly gained recognition over the past decade or so, prescription drug formularies too have been gradually adopting these types of medications as more information about them is released. With biosimilars presenting a cost-effective option for those seeking brand-name medications, their approvals will also encourage marketplace competition and create more options for receiving care.
Retail Community Pharmacist Wages Declined from 2012 to 2022
In a look back at the pharmacy workforce from 2012 to 2022, researchers of theJournal of the American Pharmacists Association presented their findings in a study of pharmacist wages over a 10-year span. The key finding was that retail community pharmacist wages decreased while aides and technicians saw their average salaries increase. They discussed overarching market pressures and how monoscopy labor markets can lead to a decrease in workforce wages.
Student, Staffing Shortages Continue to Impact Pharmacy Profession
Moving from wage declines to workforce shortages, the Total Pharmacy August 2024 issue focused on the pharmacist profession and how it impacts the rest of the health care industry. From pre-pandemic burnout to post-pandemic exhaustion, pharmacists have been experiencing immense pressures to provide care in a dynamic health care landscape. Read through this article to learn more about staffing shortages and a decrease in student pharmacist rates.
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