Pharmacist provider status: Geoprocessing analysis of pharmacy locations, medically underserved areas, populations, and health professional shortage areas

Access to community pharmacies: A nationwide geographic information systems cross-sectional analysis

“…Although these counties only represent 1.5 million or 0.5% of the entire U.S. population, their low access to community pharmacies is concerning because prior work has shown that community pharmacies are particularly important in providing access to health care in rural areas. 5,6,24 Independent and franchise pharmacies play a prominent role in the provision of pharmacy services in rural areas, as demonstrated by our analysis. However, recent closures of independent pharmacies in both urban and nonurban areas will likely impact patient access to pharmacy services.…”

“…The financial sustainability of independent pharmacies is crucial to maintain population access to pharmacies in rural areas and to prevent a further exacerbation of the urban-rural divide in health care access. 24 Our findings are subject to 4 limitations. First, due to the high computational power required to calculate driving distances for a large number of observations, we performed analyses on a 1% random sample of the U.S. population, as previously done.…”

Locations and characteristics of pharmacy deserts in the United States: a geospatial study

“…State and federal policies can halt the growth of pharmacy deserts and address patient care in existing ones by (1) preventing closures of existing pharmacies especially in underserved areas, 9 (2) establishing or incentivizing new service access points for patients, 44 , 45 and (3) leveraging new technology and care models to reach all patients (including adoption of tele-pharmacy, addressing staff shortages, using mobile clinics, and expanding scopes of practice). 33 , 46-49 One important factor in pharmacy closures is the lack of a sufficient level of revenue.…”

“…Pharmacies serving primarily low-income, publicly insured, and uninsured populations are at increased risk of closure, and independent pharmacies are more likely to close than chain pharmacies. 9 Legislative efforts to acknowledge pharmacists as health care providers in Medicare, 44 , 50 , 51 regulate pharmacy benefit managers, 52 , 53 and provide Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA)–like financial incentives for pharmacies operating in underserved areas could all help alleviate this financial pressure, particularly on pharmacies serving medically underresourced communities. The most effective policy solutions may take different forms for pharmacies in urban areas vs rural areas and regionally, as the logistics of reaching people in these areas differ greatly.…”

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“…Community pharmacies are accessible to most people living in the US, as nearly 90% live within a 5-mile driving distance of a pharmacy . In addition, pharmacies are located in areas that are medically underserved and have shortages of primary care clinicians . Community pharmacies are ideal locations to provide patient-centered, clinical services that are important to public health.…”