Pharmacists Push Forward: Innovative Clinical Solutions Highlighted at McKesson ideaShare 2025

At McKesson ideaShare 2025, pharmacy leaders spotlighted the growing role of pharmacists in expanding clinical services, including telehealth, contraception prescribing, naloxone access, and point-of-care testing (POCT).

Image credit: ArcursForPI/peopleimages.com | stock.adobe.com

Telehealth as a Tool for Sustainability and Chronic Care

Marcus Howard, PhD, CEO of GreaterHealth Pharmacy & Wellness, emphasized that sustainability in today’s pharmacy landscape requires creative solutions—and telehealth is one such venue.

“As we all know, if you’re a pharmacist or you’re in the pharmacy space, you’re trying to find ways to be sustainable and to improve pharmacy care, and it’s not the easiest thing to do right now,” he said.¹

The key to implementing telehealth, according to Howard, is identifying community partnerships. In his own community, he found chronic disease management to be a pressing need and designed a telehealth program to meet it. Pharmacists, he said, are uniquely positioned to manage chronic conditions.

“[Pharmacists] have the expertise to do a lot of chronic disease management because not only [do they] have the clinical expertise to support people in their chronic diseases, but they also manage the medications,” Howard said.¹

Howard’s team built their telehealth service in collaboration with hospitals and health systems, especially to tackle the issue of hospital readmissions for Medicare and Medicaid patients—each of which can cost hospitals thousands of dollars. Their pharmacist-led program included post-discharge phone calls, free home delivery for medications, and follow-up care, resulting in improved medication adherence and knowledge as well as better health care access.¹

“It helped patients get the preventive care they needed before they were readmitted to the hospital, and we began to really help the hospitals save a lot of money,” Howard said.¹

Contraception Prescribing: Bridging Gaps in Reproductive Health

Ashley Meredith, PharmD, MPH, of Purdue University, discussed pharmacist-led contraception prescribing.

“These laws are going to vary by state and they’re going to vary in terms of what you, the pharmacist, can actually do, but there are more than 30 states across the country that allow this.”¹

The need is especially urgent in rural areas. In Indiana, Meredith said one-third of counties lack an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN), but nearly every county has a pharmacy. Waiting for an appointment with an OB-GYN can take weeks to months. Within the pharmacy, the average appointment time for contraception prescribing is just 20 minutes, and Meredith highlighted the importance of involving pharmacy technicians to streamline the workflow.¹

Meredith also cited promising outcomes from states like Oregon. One study conducted in 2016-2017 found that 10% of new prescriptions for contraceptive pills and patches were written by pharmacists during that period.^1,2

Natalie Novak, PharmD, also shared how she implemented a contraception prescribing program during her PGY1 residency in Arkansas—a state with some of the highest maternal mortality and unintended pregnancy rates in the country.³ Her program focuses on an appointment-based model and has a cash-based payment model, although they are able to bill some insurances for the visit.

Naloxone Access Is Life-Saving

Novak also pioneered naloxone prescribing at her PGY1 site, Bryant Family Pharmacy, under Arkansas’ first statewide protocol for pharmacist clinical services.

“I’m in the boat that everybody should have naloxone,” she said. “Whether you’re taking an opioid or not, you should have naloxone in your house.”¹

Their system integrates naloxone into workflow triggers. When patients are prescribed an opioid for the first time, the system alerts staff for a clinical consult. Using an opt-out model, they educate patients, prepare the naloxone, and often are able to offer it with a $0 copay. Since launching the service in September 2024, they’ve dispensed more than 300 boxes, with an estimated 72% acceptance rate.¹

This service can not only expand pharmacies’ clinical offerings but serves a crucial public health benefit. Moderator Joshua Kinsey, PharmD, said, “We’re scratching the surface here. We’re not even talking about the impact this has, the far-reaching effects of who is being saved [by naloxone] and what that means for the community.”¹

Point-of-Care Testing: Expanding Clinical Offerings

POCT and treatment for influenza, strep, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19 is yet another area where Novak’s pharmacy has expanded services. Using statewide protocols, they test and treat based on patient symptoms and offer flexible pricing. Studies show that when antiviral treatment for influenza is started within 48 hours, complications can be reduced by up to 60%, highlighting the role these services can play.⁴

Novak added that these services align well with appointment-based models and can be layered with immunizations, chronic disease monitoring, and medication therapy management.

Addressing Barriers and Finding Solutions

Despite the promise of these services, challenges remain. Billing, reimbursement, technology gaps, regulatory variability, and workflow limitations continue to hinder expansion.

“We didn’t start off being this successful,” Novak said. “It took us a lot of iterations of these services, either with workflows or implementation.”¹

Meredith encouraged pharmacists to look beyond their own states for public policy inspiration. “Find an example of someone who’s doing it somewhere else, and I’m willing to bet they’ll take the time to sit down and help you figure out how to make it work in your state.”¹

With continued innovation, collaboration, and advocacy, pharmacy leaders are well-positioned to redefine their role in health care delivery—and to do so sustainably.

REFERENCES
1. Kinsey JD, Meredith A, Novak N, Howard M. Beyond the Counter: Innovative Clinical Services in Community Pharmacy Practice. Presented at: McKesson ideaShare 2025. Nashville, TN; July 11, 2025.

2. Pharmacist-prescribed birth control reaches new users, saves Oregon $1.6M. News release. Oregon Health and Science University. May 9, 2019. Accessed July 11, 2025. https://news.ohsu.edu/2019/05/09/pharmacists-prescribed-birth-control-reaches-new-contraceptive-users-saves-oregon-1-6-million-in-public-costs?utm_source=chatgpt.com

3. Arkansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee. Legislative Report. December 2022. Accessed July 11, 2025. https://healthy.arkansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/Final_2022_MMRC_Legislative_Report.pdf

4. Koonin LM, Patel A. Timely antiviral administration during an influenza pandemic: key components. Am J Public Health. 2018;108(Suppl 3):S215-S220. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2018.203609