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 in Omaha, 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 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 expedite therapy initiation and reduce delays in care. Their involvement is especially valuable given the complexity and cost of 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: 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 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 to educate about the knowledge behind the recommendations. We usually 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, as I’ve said, technicians really have a lot of time to spend on accessing medications. These GLP-1 medications, which are what we think of most commonly with obesity, are very expensive. They need financial assistance or access to medication, whether through the manufacturer, an institution, or alternatives, including 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 a 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 the technician take care of the patient in a slightly quicker fashion instead of just “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 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 the background of management for obesity, and then relate that to how we can access medications based on that knowledge that they have.

Pharmacy Times: Obesity management often involves medications such as 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 or the different routes 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 gain access to medications, whether it’s in an ambulatory care setting, in the inpatient discharge setting, or when 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. 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 I notice some trends and notice some things—that patients want to lose weight. They don’t want that obesity. Beyond the weight, the health effects of those conditions can be detrimental to the patient.

We spend time making sure they’re educated on their disease, 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 although 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 in June, 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 that patient’s lifestyle habits.

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 you’d like to add?

Franck: I want to put in a plug for UNMC College of Pharmacy and Nebraska Medicine, where we have really been blessed to have pharmacy technicians in our ambulatory care setting to help us with medication management and patient access. 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 to partner by giving technicians more and more opportunities to grow in their own profession.