The Influence of COVID-19 on the Push For Provider Status for Pharmacists

Ken Perez, MBA, vice president of healthcare policy and government affairs at Omnicell, discussed the pandemic's impact on the legislative push to grant pharmacists provider status for Medicare Part B.

Pharmacy Times interviewed Ken Perez, MBA, vice president of healthcare policy and government affairs at Omnicell, on the House and Senate bills, HR2759 and S1362 respectively, intended to grant pharmacists provider status for Medicare Part B.

In this discussion, Perez describes how the pandemic helped display the value of pharmacists and give greater visibility to the role they play in health care. He also points to the shortage of primary care physicians as providing the impetus for this legislation.