The American Medical Association and 80 other physician associations are urging Congress to reject a bill that would allow pharmacists to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients in cases that currently require physician oversight.
The Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act, introduced in the House by Rep. Adrian Smith, seeks to expand Medicare by allowing pharmacists to evaluate and treat patients for certain conditions, including COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus and strep throat, according to an Aug. 14 news release from the AMA. The bill would also authorize pharmacists to respond to broader public health emergencies as deemed necessary.
A companion bill, introduced in the Senate by Sens. John Thune and Elizabeth Warren, includes similar provisions, with the AMA and 80 physician organizations opposing both bills.
The organizations argue that pharmacists lack the clinical training to safely diagnose patients and manage care, training that requires thousands more hours of clinical specific experience. Though the House bill includes a requirement for services to be made under a collaborative practice agreement, the AMA said such agreements are usually implemented within integrated care teams and not community pharmacies.
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