2018: A Year of New Opportunities for Pharmacy

Now that 2017 has completed its course, let’s reflect on a whirlwind of a year. We have seen a major recovery in the economy, boosted by regulatory relief and expected tax reforms that have now been embedded into law. The mapping of the human genome and scientific ingenuity, along with high levels of FDA approvals, have brought new, life-changing and lifesaving drugs into the market. We have also seen corresponding challenges to pharmacy reimbursement, particularly as DIR fees were implemented to offset the increasing share of PBM prescription revenues retained by new and arcane pricing models designed to benefit the PBMs.

ScriptPro solutions help control costs and support pharmacy in expanding patient services

ScriptPro has been there to help the industry every step of the way. More than ever, pharmacies are embracing ScriptPro robotic automation to control costs and provide additional products and services to patients. ScriptPro’s Advanced Pharmacy Clinical Services (APCS) platform offers clinical documentation and case management tools to support pharmacists providing advanced medication therapies. ScriptPro’s Third Party Management System (TPMS) is the most effective tool available to manage third party contracts and combat DIR fees. And ScriptPro’s Contract Pharmacy Management System (CPMS) provides health systems new tools to serve as contract pharmacies for area health systems.

Pharmacy is empowered to take on chronic care management in 2018

2018 promises to be a year of new vistas for pharmacy. We have seen a growing trend in states giving more prescriptive authority to pharmacists. Recently, AMA has suggested to CMS that pharmacists be allowed to provide Chronic Care Management Services. AMA and CMS concluded that it would be up to State Boards of Pharmacies to allow this.

Kentucky responded to this opening in November 2017 by passing 201 KAR 2:380 which allows the Chief Medical Officer of a health system to create a protocol applicable to every physician in the health system. The protocol will allow pharmacists to provide chronic care management services, including medication prescribing, to all patients within the health system and bill for these services incident to the patient’s primary care physician. This moves beyond the requirement for one-physician/one-pharmacist protocols, which are cumbersome to set up and manage. It is likely that more States will establish these types of programs that will greatly impact the management of chronic diseases.

Integration between EMR and pharmacy data is vital to comprehensive patient health

ScriptPro has worked with health systems to identify patients eligible for chronic care management. We have had good results through coordinated mining of EMR and pharmacy data. Often the EMR medical condition coding does not adequately reflect the patient’s status. Extending the analysis to pharmacy data can greatly improve identification of patients who qualify for specific chronic care treatment protocols. This approach can also guide physicians in updating their EMR coding to reflect current patient conditions.

ScriptPro takes the lead in 2018 as source of trust and expertise for pharmacy

ScriptPro endeavors to be a source of trust and confidence in an industry where mistrust and uncertainty sometimes loom large. Damaging articles about the pharmacy industry abound. From reports of unfair pricing, to misleading articles and political jabs regarding 340B utilization, to a lack of transparency, there is a sense that integrity within the industry is being questioned. I want you to know that ScriptPro values its reputation as an industry leader and we will always make it our mission to create solutions that provide clarity and efficiency for our customers and their patients. Whether you are a large health system or a small, independent pharmacy, the products we create and support, and the trust we earn each day are taken very seriously.

Pharmacy is an influential and critical element in the healthcare landscape. Together, let us strive to do our very best this coming year to bring to healthcare the much-needed benefits of pharmacy.

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