State Telepharmacy Policies and Pharmacy Deserts

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Pharmacy Practice
• Public Health Policy

Background:

• Pharmacy deserts, areas with limited access to pharmacies, are a growing concern impacting patient care.
• Telepharmacies have been utilized to address pharmacy deserts, but state regulations often hinder their operation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between telepharmacy policies and the prevalence of pharmacy deserts.
• To determine the impact of telepharmacy implementation on access to pharmacy services.

Main Methods:

• A cohort study analyzed pharmacy and census data from 2016-2019 in US states with new telepharmacy policies.
• Intervention states (adopted policies in 2017-2018) were compared to control states using a pretest-posttest nonequivalent group design.
• Pharmacy deserts were defined as areas >= 10 miles from the nearest pharmacy.

Main Results:

• Intervention states saw a significant decrease in pharmacy deserts (4.5%) and population within them (11.1%) compared to controls.
• Telepharmacies were more frequently located in medically underserved areas/populations than traditional pharmacies.
• Establishing a telepharmacy in a pharmacy desert converted 37.5% of these areas to non-desert status within a year.

Conclusions:

• New telepharmacy policies are associated with a reduction in pharmacy deserts and improved access to pharmacy services.
• Telepharmacy expansion, particularly in underserved regions, can effectively mitigate pharmacy deserts.
• Less restrictive state policies on telepharmacy may enhance patient access and health outcomes.