Pharmacists, students and associations urge Connecticut to move from study to implementation on reimbursement

Pharmacists, pharmacy students and trade groups told the Joint Insurance and Real Estate Committee on Feb. 26 that Connecticut should adopt concrete reimbursement policies for clinical services provided by pharmacists rather than delay implementation with a long study.

Nathan Tinker, chief executive officer of the Connecticut Pharmacists Association, told the committee Connecticut is one of only a handful of jurisdictions that has not established reimbursement for pharmacist-provided clinical services and urged lawmakers to move quickly. “Without reimbursement, pharmacies struggle to sustain these services and patients face unnecessary barriers to care,” Tinker said.

The push came from a range of witnesses, including independent pharmacists and students from the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy. Several witnesses described existing state policy that authorizes pharmacists to deliver services — such as prescribing hormonal and emergency contraception, providing HIV testing and treatment, and administering vaccines — but does not provide a reimbursement pathway through Medicaid or commercial payers.

A group of UConn pharmacy…