New Mexico P5 (Physician-Pharmacist-Patient-Payor Partnerships) Summit

The New Mexico P5 (Physician-Pharmacist-Patient-Payor Partnerships) Summit, held May 13-15, 2024, in Albuquerque, NM, sought to bring physicians, pharmacists, patients, and payors together to address the state's healthcare access crisis by advancing integration of advanced practice pharmacists (APPh) into team-based care. The summit sought to identify gaps in healthcare delivery, optimize pharmacists' clinical roles, and develop sustainable collaborative care models to improve outcomes, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

New Mexico has a long history of progressive pharmacy practice legislation, including the Pharmacist Prescriptive Authority Act (1993) and reimbursement parity for pharmacist-provided services (2020). The New Mexico P5 Summit convened 119 stakeholders-healthcare providers, payors, policymakers, employers, and patient advocates-to address primary care shortages, workforce gaps, and socioeconomic determinants of health. Keynote and panel sessions examined APPh models in New Mexico and other states, payment reform initiatives, and expanded pharmacist roles in chronic disease management, preventive care, and point-of-care testing. Breakout sessions identified 5 priority areas: (1) legislative and regulatory reform, (2) pharmacy workforce development, (3) health information exchange, (4) reimbursement/business models for clinical services, and (5) employer-based pharmacist demonstration projects. Workgroups were formed and are working to address these priorities.

The New Mexico P5 Summit underscored the potential of APPh to mitigate primary care shortages and improve healthcare quality, access, and equity. The collaborative strategies and workgroup initiatives developed provide a framework for legislative, workforce, and payment reforms that leverage pharmacists' expertise. Ongoing stakeholder engagement will be essential to achieving sustainable innovations and transforming New Mexico's healthcare delivery system.