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Contraceptives At The Counter: Pharmacists Prescribed A Fraction Of Overall Contraceptives, 2022
Summer Rak1, Julia Strasser2, Ellen Schenk3
1Summer Rak, RTI International, Waltham, Massachusetts.
Health Affairs (Project Hope)
|November 3, 2025
Summary
Pharmacists can now prescribe contraception in more US states. In 2022, pharmacist prescriptions for birth control pills, patches, and rings were uncommon, with most prescribers writing fewer than ten new prescriptions annually.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Health
- Pharmaceutical Policy
- Healthcare Access
Background:
- Legislation enabling pharmacists to prescribe contraception is expanding nationwide.
- Contraception access is a key component of reproductive healthcare.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the utilization of pharmacist-prescribed contraception in states with existing laws.
- To assess the initial impact of expanded prescribing authority on contraception access.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of national pharmacy claims data from twenty states in 2022.
- Inclusion of prescriptions for oral contraceptive pills, patches, and rings.
- Documentation of the number of states with pharmacist prescribing laws.
Main Results:
- Pharmacist-prescribed contraception constituted a minor proportion of all contraception prescriptions in 2022.
- The average pharmacist who prescribed contraception wrote fewer than ten new prescriptions that year.
- Twenty states had laws permitting pharmacists to prescribe contraception in 2022.
Conclusions:
- While pharmacist prescribing of contraception is legally expanding, its current utilization remains low.
- Further research is needed to understand barriers and facilitators to pharmacist prescribing.
- Increased pharmacist prescribing could potentially improve access to essential reproductive health services.
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