Due to their accessibility, the Commonwealth's 7,500 pharmacists became an irreplaceable asset for the delivery of health care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pharmacists continue to serve as a trusted community healthcare resource while expanding services to meet the needs of the public. This bill modernizes the regulation of pharmacies by permitting pharmacists to test, screen, and treat qualified health conditions (such as influenza, Strep, HIV PEP/PrEP therapies, and COVID-19), and request reimbursement for those services in accordance with statewide protocols. Pharmacists will be permitted to practice at the top of their license, resulting in better patient access and health equity outcomes.

The goal of the bill is to increase timeliness and access to care for underserved patient populations, reduce stress on hospital emergency departments, create a collaborative relationship between pharmacists and other healthcare providers to alleviate workload, and improve the overall wellbeing of Commonwealth residents.