Journal of the American Pharmacists Association (JAPhA)Optimizing Patient Outcomes: Health Plans and Pharmacists Summit: Meeting Proceedings

Participants called for legislative and regulatory changes at the state and federal level for some program expansions.

A significant meeting of medical practitioners and health plan providers convened by the American Pharmacists Association has emphasized the critical role of pharmacists in healthcare and the need for expanded coverage for their services.

Key Points:

• The American Pharmacists Association convened a summit involving 31 experts, including physicians, pharmacists, health plan providers, and organizations representing pharmacist practitioners.
• The summit identified the need for an expanded range of payer programs covering patient care services provided by pharmacists.

Additional Points:

• The summit involved various presentations, breakout sessions, and feedback discussions, and an initial timeline of goals was established.
• There is a consensus on the need for continued collaboration between pharmacist practitioners and health plan providers.
• There are opportunities to expand programs without the need for public policy changes.

Conclusion:

• The summit serves as a crucial platform for establishing a foundation for collaboration, scaling programs, and expanding coverage of pharmacist services under the medical benefit.

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Did You Know?
According to a 2019 study, pharmacists’ interventions can reduce medication errors by up to 80%?