In his bimonthly column for Pharmacy Times, Ned Milenkovich, co-chair of Much's Health Care group, examined the Main Street Pharmacy Access Act. This legislation would allow pharmacists to receive Medicare reimbursement for testing and treatment services related to common respiratory illnesses where authorized under state law.
Milenkovich explains that while the bill is narrow in scope, it reflects a broader shift in how pharmacists are viewed, from dispensers of medication to accessible frontline health care providers who play a growing role in patient care and access. He highlights how the legislation preserves the traditional divide between state authority over pharmacist scope of practice and federal authority over Medicare reimbursement, calling it a notable step in the decades-long debate over pharmacist provider status.