The Key Issues Facing Independent Pharmacy

Christine Lee-Wilson, Owner of Professional Pharmacy MD, and Nimesh Jhaveri, President, Community Pharmacy and Health, spoke to Pharmacy Times about public policy and advocacy in pharmacy.

Jhaveri: I think there are several. One, of course is making sure that they're stable and financially viable for long term, and that means getting remunerated for the right value for the right services, as we said fairly equitably. That is the first thing that is an issue for independent pharmacies. Second is making sure that the pharmacists continue to have their practice and their scope of practice increase. They are the most accessible healthcare profession in the country—90% of the entire population of the US live within 5 miles of a drugstore. When we talk about access, that is a pharmacist. Making sure that we give them the legs and enable them to continue to expand their scope of services. And then, thirdly, it's around making sure that we can speak with 1 voice. There are so many factions of pharmacy, whether it's the chains, the independents, or the hospitals, or the manufacturing—you name it. We have to come together. I think this is a huge issue for our profession. I think today was a start to get us there. But those are some of the top issues in my mind for pharmacists.