Granting Pharmacists Provider Status Will Help in the Fight Against COVID-19

Pharmacy Times® interviewed Amanda Epp, MBA, the CEO of ScriptDrop, on how granting provider status to pharmacists can allow them to better support the health care system in the fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Alana Hippensteele: So, Amanda, what is the value of the pharmacist in supporting the health care system in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic?

Amanda Epp: So, pharmacists overall in the health care ecosystem are a really critical piece to patient care and the patient journey. They are the most accessible in the health care journey for the patient, as well as one of the most trusted professions. So especially now, with so much uncertainty in COVID-19, it's even more important to leverage the role of the pharmacist and grant them provider status in order to eliminate additional provider visits that are happening right now amidst the pandemic, and really leveraging pharmacists to get medications to patients at the most critical time, offering prescription delivery, and supporting them so that they can still connect with their patients while keeping safe.