Retailers Cut Pharmacist Hours While Seeking More Clinical Authority. How Is That Supposed to Work?

Just last week we told you that Montana is the latest U.S. state to consider granting pharmacists more authority to prescribe medications directly to patients in certain circumstances. Physician groups have protested, suggesting that the difference in training pharmacists receive vs what physicians and advanced-practice providers go through makes that prospect a patient-safety issue. There’s another, more basic question, though: How are pharmacists supposed to handle yet another important task when they’re already stretched to the max with their current responsibilities? Major retailers CVS and Walmart are essentially acknowledging this by revealing that they’re moving to reduce operating hours at pharmacies, as noted in an article published by The Wall Street Journal. For its part, Walgreens announced that it is reviewing its pharmacy operations and evaluating “measures to reduce workload while creating a differentiated working environment,” according to a report from The Hill.