McKesson ideaShare 2026: How McKesson Amplify Is Fueling Independent Pharmacy Advocacy

In an interview with Pharmacy Times, Nancy Lyons, BSPharm, MBA, CDCES, vice president and chief pharmacy officer at Health Mart, discussed the growing impact of McKesson Amplify, a state pharmacy association funding initiative now in its second year, on grassroots independent pharmacy advocacy. Speaking at McKesson ideaShare 2026, she explained why federal efforts like the Main Street Pharmacy Access Act and state-level standards of care initiatives are critical to removing reimbursement and practice barriers for independent pharmacists. Lyons emphasized that meaningful advocacy starts with pharmacists sharing patient care stories with legislators at whatever level they have an opportunity to be heard, pointing to resources like the Health Mart Advocacy Center and artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted storytelling tools to help pharmacists get started. She also previewed her main stage session, where an independent pharmacist will share her experience testifying before lawmakers to encourage other pharmacists to recognize their own voices and influence as constituents.

Pharmacy Times: Can you please introduce yourself?

Nancy Lyons, BSPharm, MBA, CDCES: Nancy Lyons, I'm vice president and chief pharmacy officer for Health Mart McKesson.

Pharmacy Times: Now in its second year, McKesson Amplify is funding state pharmacy associations across the US — what impact has the program had so far on independent pharmacy advocacy?

Lyons: It's one of my favorite things to talk about, so thanks for the question. McKesson Amplify has been described by many as a movement built on our sustained funding that the state associations are really putting into practice. In year one, they were just kind of getting to know what it was like to have barriers removed for them, but now that we're in the middle of year two, and applications are open for year three, they're really understanding that McKesson is behind the efforts that they have. We know that the most meaningful changes happen at that local level, and we've seen so many things. There are industry events where they'll get pharmacists in front of decision-makers around policy to really tell those pharmacists’ stories. There are membership drives within their organizations to really raise the power of all the voices, which was the intent of McKesson Amplify all along, and then just really coming together to show that movement across the country. There are some things with practice act changes around the standard of care that different associations are really getting behind, and we're just so happy to be part of that. And then a big benefit too is that our McKesson team members are able to attend the state association meetings and really engage and hear those stories too and listen and support in any way we can.

Pharmacy Times: Community pharmacies continue to face pressure from reimbursement challenges that threaten their sustainability. Why is pharmacy advocacy, such as the Main Street Pharmacy Access Act at the federal level and the growing Standard of Care advocacy work in the states, so critical for independent pharmacies right now?

Lyons: All of that work is about helping to remove barriers for pharmacists. When I think about the Main Street Pharmacy Access Act, it's about ensuring payment for services that pharmacists are already doing for their most critical patients. Medicare access for pharmacists to be able to bill is critical, and just as everybody is listening to this, we want to keep pushing. That bill has made it further than it ever has before, and we really need to get it across that finish line, but that's only going to be one piece of the puzzle. The work that the states are doing around standards of care is all about barrier removal as well. Many states are very proactive and have pharmacists engaged in services, and it turns into “If I've been trained to do it as a pharmacist, I can do it, as long as I'm doing it safely for patients.” We're really looking forward to pharmacists having the ability to make that impact on patient care, which aligns with McKesson's mission that we always put the patient first in everything that we do.

Pharmacy Times: McKesson Amplify is built on the belief that pharmacists' voices are among the most important in health care policy conversations, and the Health Mart Advocacy Center gives members tools to connect directly with legislators. What does meaningful pharmacist engagement look like at the local, state, and federal levels for those who may not know where to start?

Lyons: I guess getting started is the first thing. Advocacy, when you say the word, sounds so elusive. It sounds like going into some of those meetings we see on television, where there are all these heated conversations. But my experience with advocacy, and I think a lot of the pharmacists that are engaged with advocacy would agree, is that it's really just educating. Pharmacists have done education as part of their training since they were in pharmacy school, but it's really about explaining to those legislators the impact that it has, not only on their small business as an independent practice but also, again, on patient care and the patients, our constituents, and making those links. It's all about patient stories. I just walked the show floor here at Idea Share, and we had a number of people in our AI session that is helping to simplify that—it’s helping them translate the stories of the patient care they do every day into how to present that to their legislator. And as for the question of whether I start at the state or the federal level, it's wherever you have the opportunity for somebody to listen. I'm a firm believer that you have to ask for what you need. You might not always get it, but if you stay silent, no one's going to be speaking for you. We saw that just yesterday, as our McKesson Idea Share kicked off: one of our Pharmacy of the Year contestants really challenged everyone to be able to dream, to reimagine pharmacy. We know it best, and we have to go out after that, and I think that translates into the advocacy message so well.

Pharmacy Times: You're speaking on the main stage about the power of pharmacists' patient care stories—what do you want legislators to understand about the role community pharmacists play that they may not currently appreciate?

Lyons: Everything that they don't currently understand, they need to take the time to learn about. I am so excited about tomorrow's session. A couple of different speakers are going to join me on the panel. One of them is a pharmacist who I've known for quite a while, an independent owner totally focused on patient care. I've visited her store, and I've seen the impact that she has directly on her community, on every part of it. If you would have asked her four or five years ago if she ever thought she would be testifying for her legislative party, she would have laughed at you. But what I'm going to have her talking about tomorrow is just the story—explaining what pharmacists do in those terms and speaking up. She is one pharmacist, but I'm hoping that she inspires that entire room to know that they have a voice. They all are constituents, and they all have an impact on the decisions that are made, and they can show that the patients that they're impacting are also constituents—really empowering them to talk about what would happen if their pharmacy wasn't there and the care that's part of it. I truly believe that once a legislator experiences it and sees it, it changes things, and so we're encouraging them all to also do store tours: invite the legislators to come in, spend half an hour in the pharmacy, see the patients coming in, see the depths of problems that pharmacists are solving, and see that front door to health care.