Preparing Health Systems for the Next Generation of Care

Progress in medicine is often measured by what becomes possible for patients. Within a health system, realizing that potential also depends on whether the people, processes, technology, and resources are ready to support it safely.

This issue of Pharmacy Practice in Focus: Health Systems reflects that reality across several areas of practice, including pharmacy technician development, infectious diseases, cardiovascular care, obesity management, behavioral health, medication safety, artificial intelligence (AI), and the evolving role of pharmacists. Although these represent different areas of care, each demonstrates the importance of strong clinical and operational foundations as health systems respond to new evidence, new therapies, and changing patient needs.

Workforce readiness begins with pharmacy technicians. Pharmacy technicians are essential to the daily operation of health systems, yet recruitment, education, and retention remain persistent challenges. Structured and accredited training programs can help organizations build a more consistent workforce while creating meaningful opportunities for professional growth. Investing in technicians also strengthens the broader pharmacy enterprise by allowing pharmacists to devote more time to clinical care, medication management, and collaboration with patients and care teams.

The ability to practice fully also depends on whether policy keeps pace with the scope pharmacists are being asked to assume. Pharmacists in several states have gained authority to prescribe certain controlled substances, but barriers within the federal registration process can still prevent them from exercising that authority. In 2025, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and other pharmacy organizations asked the Drug Enforcement Administration to update its registration process to better reflect state laws.¹ The experiences discussed in this issue offer an important view of how regulatory processes can affect pharmacy practice.

Clinical readiness is equally important because pharmacists must remain current with the evidence and understand how changes in practice affect individual patients and the broader care team. Additionally, readiness has financial and operational dimensions. The Health Resources and Services Administration recently announced a revised 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program under which approved rebate plans for selected drugs are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027.² For covered entities, responding to this change will require coordination across pharmacy, finance, contracting, technology, and revenue cycle teams. It is another example of how changes in health policy can affect the organization as a whole.

These same foundations will become even more important as cell and gene therapies move into broader clinical use. The latest American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy and Citeline landscape report identified 4487 gene, cell, and RNA therapies in development worldwide.³ Although oncology and rare diseases remain important areas of research, the pipeline now extends across immunological, neurological, cardiovascular, metabolic, musculoskeletal, sensory, and infectious diseases, including programs targeting osteoarthritis, type 1 diabetes, Parkinson disease, lupus, and heart failure. Investment also remains substantial, with 118 transactions completed and more than $500 million raised through seed and early-stage financing during the second quarter of 2026 alone.³

This is no longer a narrow therapeutic field. Its expanding reach will affect clinical care, health system operations, payer strategy, and continued patient management.

Preparing for this expanding landscape will require coordination among pharmacy, nursing, physicians, laboratories, supply chain teams, finance, information technology, quality, and payer partners. Product acquisition, handling, administration, supportive care, financial clearance, and continued patient monitoring must operate as parts of an integrated program. Pharmacists are well positioned to connect these responsibilities because their work spans both the clinical and operational dimensions of medication use.

Technology will increasingly influence how pharmacy teams manage this growing complexity. AI may help organize information, identify patterns, support patient risk stratification, and reduce administrative burden. Emerging evidence suggests that health care investment in AI remains concentrated on administrative efficiency rather than patient outcomes, access, and equity.⁴ Separate research found that billing and reimbursement for clinical pharmacist services increased after pharmacists received formal recognition as providers, showing how strongly clinical practice remains connected to policy and payment structures.^5,6

Together, these trends raise an important concern. If technology removes mechanical tasks without creating sustainable payment pathways for clinical navigation and direct patient care, health systems may gain efficiency without realizing the full opportunity to improve outcomes. Clear governance, appropriate oversight, and alignment among technology, policy, and payment will be essential.

The topics in this issue reflect that work is already taking place across pharmacy practice. Through education, collaboration, and thoughtful leadership, pharmacists are helping health systems build the capabilities needed to deliver what comes next safely, responsibly, and sustainably.

REFERENCES

1. ASHP urges DEA to update registration process for pharmacists. American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. March 4, 2025. Accessed August 14, 2026. https://news.ashp.org/news/ashp-news/2025/03/04/ashp-urges-dea-to-update-registration-process-for-pharmacists

2. Health Resources and Services Administration. Notice regarding 340B rebate model pilot program. Federal Register. Published August 3, 2026. Accessed August 14, 2026. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/03/2026-15633/notice-regarding-340b-rebate-model-pilot-program

3. Barrett D, Enokawa S, Kikkert S, Micklus A. Gene, Cell, and RNA Therapy Landscape Report: Q2 2026 Quarterly Data Report. American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy. July 2026. Accessed August 14, 2026. https://www.asgct.org/uploads/files/general/Final-ASGCT-Citeline-Q2-2026.pdf

4. FDA increases flexibility on requirements for cell and gene therapies to advance innovation. News release. FDA. January 11, 2026. Accessed August 14, 2026. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-increases-flexibility-requirements-cell-and-gene-therapies-advance-innovation

5. Estiri H. The opportunity cost of market narratives in health care AI. National Academy of Medicine. June 8, 2026. Accessed August 14, 2026. https://nam.edu/perspectives/the-opportunity-cost-of-market-narratives-in-health-care-ai/

6. Coffey CP, Barnes KD, Tayal NH, Jonas DE, Beatty SJ. Reimbursement for services provided by clinical pharmacists in primary care: description of changes over time in an academic primary care network in Ohio following the recognition of pharmacists as providers. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2025;82(17):e760-e766. doi:10.1093/ajhp/zxa