Pharmacists Need to Master Digital Channels, Managing Complex Diseases, Behavioral Health to Meet Future Demand

Video

Pharmacy Times spoke with George Van Antwerp, MBA, managing director of Deloitte, about where he sees the pharmacy field going in the next 20 years.

Pharmacy Times® spoke with George Van Antwerp, managing director of Deloitte, about where he sees the pharmacy field going in the next 20 years. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has pushed developments forward exponentially, Van Antwerp said, including issues such as technology and value-based reimbursement for pharmacists.

Several issues contribute to the adoption of a value-based care model, Van Antwerp said, including new technology, changing sites of care, and recognizing the pharmacist as a provider. All of these areas have been pushed forward in recent months, with massive shifts to telehealth, providing care in home environments, and legislation allowing pharmacists to take a leading role.

Van Antwerp said pharmacy delivery channels will also shift in the future as new innovations require pharmacists to adapt. For example, traditional retail pharmacies could become more comprehensive health care sites and local distribution hubs by utilizing virtual pharmacists and data sharing. Similarly, complex specialty treatments could become more common at specialty medical centers, as traditional specialty medications are moved into retail health environments.

As all of this change becomes evident in the coming years, however, Van Antwerp said some aspects of pharmacy will not change.

“My hope is that the core foundation of the pharmacist’s role—which is being a trusted, local resource that really understands medicine and can help that patient—doesn’t change,” Van Antwerp said. “They’re still highly accessible, they’re still that trusted resource.”

Video slides courtesy of Deloitte.

Related Videos
Laboratory test tubes and solution with stethoscope background | Image Credit: Shutter2U - stock.adobe.com
Image credit: Andrea Izzotti
Human brain digital illustration. Electrical activity, flashes, and lightning on a blue background. | Image Credit: Siarhei - stock.adobe.com
Inflation Reduction Act is shown using the text and the US flag - Image credit: Andrii | stock.adobe.com
Pharmacy Interior | Image Credit: Tyler Olson - stock.adobe.com
Male pharmacist selling medications at drugstore to a senior woman customer | Image Credit: Zamrznuti tonovi - stock.adobe.com
Pharmacist assists senior woman in buying medicine in pharmacy - Image credit: Drazen | stock.adobe.com
Pharmacy, medicine and senior woman consulting pharmacist on prescription. Healthcare, shopping and elderly female in consultation with medical worker for medication box, pills or product in store - Image credit: C Daniels/peopleimages.com | stock.adobe.com
Image credit: fidaolga - stock.adobe.com
Pharmacists checking inventory at hospital pharmacy- Image credit: Jacob Lund | stock.adobe.com
© 2023 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.