We need to watch this together. Should pharmacists independently practice medicine? Well, the obvious answer is no. But apparently there’s about 55 congressmen who think that the answer is yes.
Recently a bill has been introduced HR 3164 and its companion bill Senate resolution 2426 which allows pharmacists to independently test patients for certain things like CO 19 influenza RSV and even streptocockal tonsilitis or fngitis but not only test also treat the patient evaluate and manage that patient and bill Medicare under an ENM service code.
without a physician being involved. That is the independent practice of medicine by pharmacists. And you know, pharmacists did not go to medical school. And 95% of the country believes that a physician should be involved in any treatment decision that involves a prescription or medication or a test. That’s the best kind of healthcare.
The Fight Between Doctors and Pharmacists Explained
And and we expect in this country that significant medical decisions, testing and treating for a disease are physicianled as part of a team. But nonetheless, physician supervised and that somewhere along the way a physician is involved if you’re being diagnosed in treating these conditions. You know, going into a pharmacy and having them swab you and then selecting an antibiotic does not involve the pharmacist taking a history or performing a physical.
And often times the diagnosis of even these conditions involves more than just a clea test swab uh and a result. Plus, the pharmacist is not really taking their whole medical care into consideration because they aren’t taking an adequate history. they don’t know how to take an adequate history. So, this is not good care.
It’s not good for patients. Uh there is no urgent need for this. This is not endemic or pandemic times. And there’s no reason to lower the bar and let pharmacists all of a sudden start practicing practice medicine independently. You know, the other thing is that pharmacists are not pushing for this. They’re extremely underststaffed and overworked right now.
Even to the point many are raising safety issues because they are just so understaffed. They don’t need this on their plate as well. Plus, it opens them up for much more liability. It’s the big boxies that are pushing this. It’s the CVS and the Walgreens and the Walmarts who want to turn theirarmacies into treatment centers as opposed to pharmacy centers.
Doctors vs Pharmacists: Who Should Have Provider Status?
Uh, and that’s really what the motivation of this is. It is crazy to me that there are still providers that don’t actually understand the amount of education that it takes to become a pharmacist. And I felt that the longer I was watching it, it was just getting worse and worse and worse. Now, in Bradford’s defense, it looks like he went to medical school back in the stone ages.
So, maybe at that time, pharmacists weren’t getting doctorate degrees. But how pharmacist practice now is so much different back when, you know, he was practicing as a physician when he first started. Also, I just want to highlight his credentials just because I think that’s really important for background in this. So, he is a surgeon.
Looks like he does ear, nose, and throat. So, he’s not in the primary care setting where he is, you know, diagnosing and treating these patients who may have like COVID or the flu. And what many people don’t realize, especially someone like him who is probably oblivious to what is going on, is that there are several patients who are unable to get into primary care offices because there is a shortage of primary care providers.
And so in turn, we are going to need pharmacists to help aid that because a lot of times now when people are graduating medical school, they’re going to specialties, which honestly I don’t blame them because they make more money in a specialty. But I’ll be honest, I would rather someone get treated right away, whether it’s for the flu or for COVID, than to have to wait, which could be weeks to months, to see a provider. But yes, I agree.
You know, we can’t do a whole physical examination for a patient. But if we can at least get them treated while they have an appointment, you know, we can actually help prevent further complications. Also, he’s probably so disconnected with health care in general and how it works that pharmacist actually can work in ambulatory care as well.
The Truth About the Provider Status Debate
Because when I worked ambulatory care, I was a diabetes pharmacist, which I still am a certified diabetes outpatient educator. Though I technically worked under a physician when it came to prescribing, treating the patient. That was all on my own. And honestly, most of the primary care doctors preferred me to be the one to manage these patients because they did not want to have to deal with anything when it came to treatment because they honestly didn’t know how to treat diabetes.
So, while I agree with Bradford that, you know, especially if this happened at like a CVS or Walgreens, these pharmacists may be overwhelmed. But I think if we start making ouries more of a health hub and start utilizing the pharmacist for their clinical background, which we actually went to school for, I could see this being very beneficial.
But Bradford, unless you’re going to start treating patients for COVID and the flu to really help out primary care physicians who are seeing so many patients, then I think you need to keep your opinions to yourself, especially when you’re trying to tear down a whole profession.
