SPONSORED CONTENT
Community pharmacies are becoming centres of timely, accessible health care with a growing number of health services as pharmacists’ scope of practice increases, something benefits plan sponsors can consider to improve health outcomes for employees.
Ninety-five per cent of Canadians live within five to 10 kilometres of a community pharmacy, giving them another place to turn for health concerns and creating the potential to reduce some of the strain on busy emergency rooms and walk-in clinics, said Anu Sharda, senior director of payor partnerships at Health Solutions by Shoppers Drug Mart, during Benefits Canada’s 2025 Vancouver Benefits Summit.
“This is an opportunity to consider when we look at how we’re supporting plan members,” she said, adding “the future is targeted and integrated value-based care. Pharmacy, I think, is a really key component of that.”
Read: A look at the evolving role of pharmacists in drug plan management
In recent years, multiple provinces have expanded pharmacists’ scope of practice to include point-of-care testing; treatment of minor conditions such as urinary tract infections, pink eye and strep throat; and condition management for more complex health issues such as diabetes. Building on this momentum, the pharmacist’s scope continues to expand, said Shard, encompassing the management of conditions such as respiratory, gastrointestinal and women’s health, with specific services varying by jurisdiction.
“With recent policy changes, we are practicing closer to our full scope of training, moving beyond dispensing medications to actively managing chronic diseases, reviewing patient medications and delivering clinical interventions.”
In addition, increased efficiencies in medication dispensing, such as through automated and centralized processes for maintenance — or routine — medications, have freed up time for pharmacists to engage in more “meaningful interactions” with patients, she noted.
Sharda described a pilot program by the government of Nova Scotia, which recognized the need for increased access to primary care. It partnered with Shoppers Drug Mart and other community pharmacies to launch a pilot program, establishing 46 pharmacy-led primary care clinics in regions with limited access to primary care. In these clinics, pharmacists provided assessments, prescriptions, chronic disease support and vaccine delivery. The initiative contributed to a 9.2 per cent reduction in low-acuity emergency room visits in the province, she said.
Read: Ontario reviewing impact of preferred pharmacy networks on plan members’ costs, accessibility
The policy landscape continues to evolve, with some provinces offering more publicly funded health services within pharmacies than others. Regardless of current funding models, pharmacists’ expanded scope presents a significant opportunity to create a better health-care ecosystem across the country, said Sharda, highlighting the potential for benefits plan sponsors to leverage pharmacies for services such as vaccine campaigns among others.
Pharmacies delivered millions of doses during the coronavirus pandemic, she added, and worked to counter vaccine hesitancy in communities. “The infrastructure is there.”
This existing network also presents an opportunity to improve the management of high-cost and specialty medications, particularly as an increasing number of these drugs are now available in formulations suitable for administration within retail pharmacies, said Sharda.
Pharmacists are well-positioned to administer or dispense these drugs onsite, she noted, and provide essential case management services for plan members with complex conditions, potentially leading to more cost-effective and convenient care.
Read more coverage of the 2025 Vancouver Benefits Summit.