Q&A: Pharmacy Technicians and the Future of Obesity Management

In an interview with Pharmacy Times, Logan Franck, PharmD, BCACP, clinical assistant professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) College of Pharmacy, highlighted the expanding and essential role of pharmacy technicians in obesity care, particularly in improving medication access, patient engagement, and care coordination.

Franck explained that the increasing prevalence of obesity and the growing use of therapies such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists have created significant access and workflow challenges. Pharmacy technicians, particularly in ambulatory care settings, play a central role in addressing these barriers by managing insurance navigation, identifying financial assistance options, and exploring therapeutic alternatives when coverage limitations arise.

He emphasized that technicians are evolving from traditional dispensing roles into more active participants in patient care. By maintaining up-to-date knowledge of medication access pathways and treatment options, technicians can help expedite therapy initiation and reduce delays in care. Their involvement is especially valuable given the complexity and cost associated with modern obesity pharmacotherapy.

Additionally, Franck underscored the importance of lifestyle interventions, including diet and exercise, as essential components of obesity management alongside pharmacotherapy. Educating technicians on these elements allows for more comprehensive patient support.

Pharmacy Times: Can you please introduce yourself?

Logan Franck, PharmD, BCACP: My name is Logan Franck. I’m a clinical assistant professor at the UNMC College of Pharmacy. I have been with the UNMC College of Pharmacy for about 8 years and have kind of bounced around a lot of different therapeutic areas, one of which most recently is obesity.

Pharmacy Times: Your session focuses on the pharmacy technician’s role in obesity care. What inspired you to center technicians in this conversation?

Franck: I think technicians have a lot of roles in a lot of different settings. Specifically in my setting, I work in ambulatory care, where we actually have technicians in the ambulatory care setting who help us with access to medications. I see that on a daily basis, what they’re doing within that setting. But I also think it’s important to see where they are going, and kind of educating about the knowledge behind the recommendations is also important. Usually we think of pharmacy technicians from the access standpoint, so that is where I see technicians moving toward today.

Pharmacy Times: How do you see the role of pharmacy technicians evolving in supporting patients with obesity, particularly in community and ambulatory care settings?

Franck: In ambulatory care settings, like I’ve already said, technicians really have a lot of time to spend on accessing medications. These GLP-1 medications, which is what we think of most commonly with obesity, are very expensive. They need financial assistance or some kind of medication access, whether it’s through the manufacturer, whether it’s through an institution, whether there are alternatives, or direct-from-the-manufacturer options.

The technician really can start with that access component but then be aware of what’s out there. So if we prescribe one GLP-1 medication, but they know there’s a different one that has better coverage or maybe oral medications instead of injectable medications, those kinds of options help that technician take care of the patient in a slightly quicker fashion instead of just a “yes or no, can we do this?”

Pharmacy Times: What are the most impactful ways technicians can contribute to patient care—whether through workflow support, patient engagement, or coordination of services?

Franck: That’s a really good question, because I think it’s all of them. Technicians, again, start with that first line—talking with the patient, helping out with access, creating a good flow. But because they are so involved, they need to have a good background of knowledge on the disease state or on the condition that they’re treating. The goal of this talk is really to help them get that background information, know how to manage, or know kind of the background of management for obesity, and then relate that to how we can access medications based off that knowledge that they have.

Pharmacy Times: Obesity management often involves medications like GLP-1 receptor agonists. How can technicians help navigate access, affordability, and adherence challenges?

Franck: As pharmacists in the ambulatory care setting, this is huge in our area. We see lots of patients every day. We don’t have the time to keep up with how to access medications and the different routes or ways to access them. The pharmacy technician really is that expert on our team—at least that expert to really get things done—whether it’s that they keep up to date with, “This manufacturer now has this coverage with this insurance,” or maybe it’s expired or doesn’t have coverage anymore, so we have to go a different route. The pharmacy technician really is that expert in that access part and can really help grow or gain access to medications, whether it’s in an ambulatory care setting, whether it’s in the inpatient discharge setting, or whether patients are just looking for something new to try for their obesity journey.

Pharmacy Times: What are common misconceptions about obesity that technicians should be aware of when interacting with patients?

Franck: I think this is a tough part. Just societally, we think of obesity as potentially something that the patient brought upon themselves or something they aren’t doing much to help themselves with. But working with those patients every day, I feel like I notice some trends and notice some things—that patients want to lose weight. They don’t want that obesity. Beyond just the weight, the health-wise effects of those conditions can really be detrimental to the patient.

We spend time making sure they’re educated on what disease they’re going through, and by the pharmacy technicians knowing what these patients are going through and what the outcomes or complications of the disease are, it really helps them be more empathetic, be more connected with those patients, and really help them in their journey beyond just medications. It is important to know that diet and exercise do matter in this condition, and while we have medications that do wonders for patients, without that extra diet and exercise management, the weight loss will not be as significant as it would be with those.

Pharmacy Times: For technicians attending your session at the American Association of Pharmacy Technicians 2026 convention, what key takeaways or practice changes do you hope they walk away with?

Franck: I want technicians to come and be open to a condition that is very popular right now. Everybody knows about GLP-1s—it’s just blowing up nationwide with how many people are on it and the access to that care. I want them to come learn about it and then realize that it’s beyond medications for obesity. You have to incorporate diet and exercise into the lifestyle habits of that patient.

I want them to see why we use GLP-1s. There are other medications for obesity—they just don’t work nearly as well. Come learn how and the literature behind that. Then after you grasp those areas, roll that into access—where do we look for access? Are there alternative ways to gain access, such as direct-to-consumer pilot programs? Are there areas where we can send these medications to patients? By knowing where they are and where to look, that can help take care of our patients in a better way.

Pharmacy Times: Is there anything else that you want to add or anything that you think I missed?

Franck: Not in particular. I just want to put a plug in for UNMC College of Pharmacy and Nebraska Medicine, where we have really been blessed by having pharmacy technicians in our ambulatory care setting to help us with the management and access of medications for patients. This is a growing area, and I can’t imagine being in a setting that doesn’t have that support from technicians. I really am blessed to have them on our team, and I look forward to continuing partnering by giving technicians more and more opportunities to grow in their own profession.