XiFin webinar focuses on how pharmacy can unlock insights to drive innovation, growth
Drug Store News hosted XiFin Pharmacy Solutions' “2025 Pharmacy Transformation Outlook: Unlocking Insights to Drive Innovation and Growth” webinar, featuring David Pope, chief pharmacy officer, and Sandra Greefkes, vice president of product and partner marketing.
Pope led off the discussion acknowledging that 2024 marked significant progress with advocacy efforts by the pharmacy industry.
“We certainly saw a big movement from a plan perspective both from Medicaid and commercial plans to be able to say, 'we want pharmacists to be in our network' and for you to provide ‘test and treat’, office visits, prescribing certain medications, like HIV, smoking cessation and educational programs,” Pope said.
Pope said that pharmacy led with the ECAPS (Equitable Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act) bill, which is designed to allow pharmacists to bill Medicare. Crediting various industry associations for their advocacy efforts, Pope said that although the bill wasn't included in the end of the year spending bill, he is optimistic that ECAPS will be passed sometime this year.
[Read more: XiFin releases findings from 2025 Pharmacy Survey
Pope went on to address the payer trends he's seen in 2024. “We saw a new national plan come into the mix, being able to provide and pay for pharmacists’ services in 2024," he said. "As of Oct. 2024, there were programs in 43 states covering and paying at least one or more of those pharmacist services generally through Medicaid programs or by commercial insurance. We’re beginning to see some movement there."
Pope and Greefkes proceeded to reveal results from XiFin’s 2025, 2nd annual pharmacy transformation outlook survey, which included responses from 379 participants representing many types of pharmacy and functional areas.
Greefkes said low medical reimbursement continues to be the biggest challenges facing pharmacies that respondents cited. “Drug shortages got ranked more often, just not quite as high. Imparticular stress, burnout and low staff morale moved from fifth to fourth place and the revenue growth challenges grew in the sixth place. We added a couple of challenges and so that pushed down the medical reimbursement piece from sixth place to ninth place,” she said.
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Greefkes said there were almost 200 free form responses about challenges. “They fall into four buckets, very similar buckets as to last year, mostly around financial and regulatory challenges, including PBM practices and DIR fees."
Greefkes said pharmacists not only acknowledged staffing shortages but also the expansion of skills that are required or expertise that may be needed and the limitations on staff or the alignment around that.
Operational and technical challenges, included software issues or integration challenges, a lack of information between systems and even physical space and resource constraints within the pharmacy itself, Greefkes said. "With the change of the administration, there’s uncertainty about the future and optimism,” she added.
What clinical solutions are pharmacies currently offering? Greefkes said the survey respondents named immunizations (70% ); medication therapy management was a close second (62%); Specialty held steady from 2023 at 29%; clinical trials was up 5 % compared to 2023 responses; and a new category related to digital therapeutics, was noted by 16% of respondents.
Pope proceeded to discuss medication therapy management, pointing out that MTM includes value-based care. “There’s been a huge resurgence of pharmacies working alongside plans to be able to fill gaps in care. That may be Medicaid related. Many times it’s not just adherence, it could also be getting blood pressure, getting A1C testing, following a patient beyond that. I was surprised to see the number here in practice. In terms of digital therapeutics, that is brand new to the space," he said. While Pope doesn't see pharmacists billing for that now he "sees them working and interacting with it in terms of plans, and it coincides with mental health services. Pharmacy plays a key role in mental health services and solutions not just for long acting injectables, but getting people help.”
Beyond challenges, the survey also looked at the biggest opportunities for pharmacists. “There was one area of change from one year to next. There was a higher ranking related to increase in pharmacist technology and automation through AI, ML, analytics or cloud computing to improve operational efficiency,” Greefkes said.
Pope chimed in, saying that pharmacies are focused on AI enablement. "What I’ve been surprised and seeing speed with which pharmacy is leveraging AI. It starts with addressing workflow issues. Much of the AI is focused on that so we can take away some of the burden on the pharmacist. The workflow seems to be the focus that I’m seeing as an opportunity, but certainly it goes beyond that.”
Pope also commented on the qualitative feedback from pharmacists on these opportunities. “There’s a clear desire in the marketplace, pharmacy is seeking to become the front door of health care. You’ll see that represented in expanded pharmacist roles and pharmacy as a health hub,” he said.
On the medical side, Pope said medical plans are becoming more familiar with how to involve pharmacists in allowing them to provide more services. “Those plans are working with and alongside with physician pharmacy groups to make it easier for you to be able to engage, especially in the rural space. We saw a lot of digital health and AI focus. Patient-centered care, we’ve seen that for many years. However, the qualitative feedback suggests we’re trying to use more AI and communication to be able to drive that and provide that patient-centered care. It’s an extension of you, the pharmacist.”
Pope also revealed that office visits placed number one on a list of 12 predictions. “You believe pharmacists will be billing for office visits. Pharmacists are providing office visits. Where? For things like test to treat, hormonal contraceptive therapy and beyond.” he said, adding, "We’re seeing AI assisted therapy management. The majority of drugs coming out of the pipeline are in the specialty arena. We may begin to see genetic testing as a revival of this. We’re seeing the expansion of the pharmacist technician’s role. One that’s near my heart is diabetes education and billing, which also made the top 12 list,” Pope said.
To view the webinar click here.
