Primary care pharmacy technicians as medication access experts: A new era in primary care

Pharmacy technicians are well known and respected for their invaluable contributions to patient care in pharmacy settings. Pharmacy technicians have skills in practical medication information, medication access, insurance and cost navigation, and patient and provider communication strategies. In the current healthcare landscape, costly prescription medications save lives, but insurance complexities, patient social determinants of health, and other system factors create barriers. A lesser-known area of practice where pharmacy technicians significantly impact patients is primary care. Primary care pharmacy technicians (PCPhT) improve timely patient access to medications through cost mitigation and formulary navigation, provide support in the medication procurement process, and educate patients and providers on best practices to get patients the medications they need in an efficient, cost-effective manner. This commentary articulates the rationale for establishing this role, along with the PCPhT designation, as an emerging and important member of the primary care team.