INSIGHT - Summer 2020

Summer 2020 | 27 be a problem solver. As the on-site face of the pharmacy, technicians should be screened for attention to detail, critical thinking, commitment to learning, initiative, and customer service skills. Technicians in these roles are acting as an extension of the pharmacist, using technology to help pharmacists deliver services. They are not really responsible for installing or implementing the technology itself. However, the growth of telemedicine has raised calls for specially trained technicians to set up, run, troubleshoot, and maintain the technology itself. This would help assure seamless delivery of patient care. Telepharmacy During COVID-19 The coronavirus pandemic has only accelerated the use of telemedicine in an effort to limit personal contact and virus spread. In waiving many of its usual regulations in response to the crisis, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services temporarily expanded reimbursements for telehealth. Whereas Medicare formerly would only pay for telehealth for pre-existing patients and only in certain locales, now, new patients can receive telehealth services with billing at the in- person rate. Providers must use an interactive telecommunications system for real-time chat between the medical facility and the patient at home. Similarly, telepharmacy also helps minimize the risk of virus exposure. It does not in itself remove the need for people to pick up their prescriptions, but it does allow for touchless processes. Patients can have private conversations with pharmacists without risking infection. Counseling can happen on devices located at the telepharmacy or via personal cell phones, which can allow patients to stay home when they are sick and send caregivers to pick up medications for them. An additional benefit is that video visits in patients’ homes make it easy for them to show pharmacists what medications they’re currently taking, which is sometimes difficult to ascertain in the store. Serving Patients in NewWays Patient care via technology can bring sometimes unexpected extras to the relationship. Pharmacists practicing telepharmacy indicate that they’re able to reach patients that they otherwise might not. Done right, telepharmacy need not decrease the personal feel of community pharmacies, and it’s still more personal than mail-order pharmacy and more regulated than internet orders. Telepharmacy may be the answer to community pharmacists’ desire to expand business with a smaller initial investment than needed by a traditional store. Besides opening a brand new telepharmacy location, pharmacy owners might consider acquiring underperforming stores or stores with a retiring pharmacist- owner not likely to make a sale to a new on-site pharmacist. Such sites may become profitable after only months of operation compared to the two or three years it can take a traditional store. And remember that the technology can also allow a hybrid telepharmacy model with a part- time pharmacist on site and full- time patient access. Telepharmacy provides the community a new dispensing base that supports additional clinical services provided by pharmacists, such as immunizations and medication therapy management. State rules regarding telepharmacy vary in their requirements for setting, staffing, and record keeping, so pharmacists contemplating a telepharmacy must become familiar with their state’s language about specific practice, whether it’s community, retail, or outpatient. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy website contains a list of state links to begin learning more. While regulatory and technology issues are part of venturing into telepharmacy, applying a mindset of innovation is also important. Pharmacists and technicians need to be open to new ways of operating – just as they have been demonstrating during these unprecedented times.