My June 17 blog post highlighted the key contributions of ASHP and its members to the workshop and described ongoing initiatives that are already advancing the future of pharmacy practice.

The newly released workshop proceedings, Innovations in Pharmacy Training and Sustainable Practice to Advance Patient Care, summarize presentations and panel discussions across the workshop’s four foundational pillars:

• Pharmacy deserts and workforce
• Well-being of the pharmacy workforce
• Financial sustainability
• Next-generation education and training programs

Within each of these pillars, the workshop identified a wide range of priority areas for future focus, including payer recognition of pharmacists, technology and data use in pharmacy practice and education, financial stability, expansion of the 340B Drug Pricing Program, flexible pharmacy care and training models, mobile pharmacy practice, leadership development, team-based care, pharmacy benefit management reform, and more.

Importantly, the workshop’s four main pillars and priority areas closely align with ASHP’s longstanding priorities and our new strategic plan.

Workforce and Well-Being

ASHP is a longtime leader in pharmacy and healthcare workforce well-being and resilience. We have financially supported the National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience since 2017. In 2022, ASHP was awarded a $2.3 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration to reduce burnout and support the well-being of the entire healthcare workforce. We also support our members through ASHP’s Well-Being & You resources and wellness programming at our national meetings, including the 2025 Midyear Clinical Meeting & Exhibition.

Advocating for Sustainable Practice

ASHP’s advocacy agenda continues to push for the financial stability of pharmacy in many areas, and one of our longstanding goals is to have pharmacists designated as healthcare providers under Medicare Part B. In the past decade, ASHP has become increasingly involved in state-level advocacy to secure payer recognition of clinical services provided by pharmacists. Today, 44 states consider pharmacists healthcare providers who are eligible for or entitled to payment for clinical services covered by commercial payers, state Medicaid plans, or both.

We’ve also seen growing success in advocacy for pharmacist enrollment as providers through contracts with commercial Medicare Advantage plans and through collaborative incident-to billing for evaluation and management services with Medicare. The National Academies workshop attendees showed great interest in these potential payment mechanisms, and ASHP is actively working with other workshop sponsors to advocate for their acceptance and implementation.

Advancing Education and Practice Transformation

Our deep involvement in pharmacy education and training touches many aspects of the profession, from accrediting pharmacy technician and residency programs to supporting board certification across expanding specialty areas. Our We’re Your Pharmacist public awareness campaign also aligns closely with the workshop’s discussions, as we actively attract, engage, and inspire the next generation of pharmacists.

ASHP has a road map for transforming pharmacy practice: our Practice Advancement Initiative (PAI), a key tool that continues to evolve. PAI and the upcoming 2026 Pharmacy Forecast report, along with ASHP’s member-driven strategic plan, help us actively shape the future envisioned during the National Academies workshop.

What’s Next

The National Academies will convene a meeting in January to discuss follow-up activities. ASHP will strongly advocate for the development of a full consensus study report on the workshop’s findings — the National Academies' gold standard for publication. Securing such a report would be a milestone for our profession, elevating pharmacy alongside medicine and nursing, which have been the subject of previous full consensus reports.

I encourage you to read the proceedings and join us on Dec. 9 at the Midyear as we continue these vital conversations at the session, Future of Pharmacy — Highlights and Updates from the National Academies Innovations in Pharmacy Practice and Training Workshop.

We’re honored to collaborate with the National Academies and our pharmacy partners to ensure the workshop’s momentum leads to meaningful action, and to work on our members’ behalf as we help build the future of pharmacy.

Thank you for all you do for your patients and our profession.

Sincerely,

Paul

Posted on November 7, 2025