If COVID-19 taught us anything, it’s that pharmacists are frontline providers.
The Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act, first passed in March 2020, enabled pharmacists to test, treat, and later vaccinate patients during the emerging public health emergency.
Under the PREP Act, pharmacists quickly set up shop with drive-thru testing sites, mass vaccination clinics, new test-and-treat workflows, and modified services to accommodate social distancing protocols.
These services were particularly critical in rural areas, where pharmacies remained the closest (and often only) source of health care.
The results don’t lie. During the pandemic, pharmacists made impressive contributions:
Research published in JAPhA estimates these efforts averted more than 1 million deaths, 8 million hospitalizations, and $450 billion in healthcare costs.
In the six years since the pandemic started, the PREP ACT has evolved—at first expanding and then later narrowing as certain authorities, like childhood routine vaccine administration and PPE purchasing protections, expired.
No matter its scope, though, the PREP Act made one thing clear: pharmacists are essential to public health.
Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures—but patients, providers, and some legislators are beginning to ask the same question: Why shouldn’t these permissions be made permanent?
A new bipartisan bill aims to turn the temporary emergency powers granted in the PREP ACT into permanent policy.
The Main Street Pharmacy Access Act (H.R. 3164 / S. 2426)—formerly known as the Equitable Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act (ECAPS)—would allow pharmacists to be reimbursed under Medicare Part B for clinical services including:
Reimbursement not only applies to HHS-pre-approved services but opens the door to new testing technologies, vaccines, or treatments as they emerge.
While Medicare Part B reimburses pharmacists for some services—most notably vaccines, some Part B medications, and DME—it doesn’t consistently reimburse them for test-and-treat services.
The Main Street Pharmacy Access Act aims to close that gap by allowing Medicare to pay for these services.
While the Act doesn’t grant pharmacists provider status, it acts as an important steppingstone in federally recognizing—and reimbursing—the important work pharmacists do every day.
“Independent pharmacies have played a large role at both the federal and state levels in testing for COVID-19 and administering COVID-19 vaccines to those in their communities and in long-term care facilities,” says Ronna Hauser, SVP of Policy and Pharmacy Affairs at NCPA. “This legislation would ensure continued access for patients to services at their local pharmacy.
The Main Street Pharmacy Access Act is an important bill for pharmacies and patients alike.
For pharmacies, the bill is about recognition and reimbursement.
As COVID showed us, independent pharmacies already have the expertise to deliver clinical care. The bill simply ensures they can be reimbursed for that care and continue to serve as an accessible access point for patients everywhere.
For patients, the impact is even more immediate. The bill enables patients to get faster access to care, greater flexibility in where they get that care, and more freedom in making healthcare decisions.
This is particularly important for Medicare beneficiaries, who often face delays in care due to provider shortages or coverage limitations—not to mention patients in underserved areas.
Taken together, the Main Street Pharmacy Access Act helps close the gap between what pharmacists can do and what the healthcare system allows patients to access.
At RedSail, we believe pharmacies are uniquely positioned to expand access to care—and that technology should make it easier, not harder, to deliver and be reimbursed for that care.
We are an established partner with many years of experience supporting pharmacies. Our team is ready to help you succeed with the
With RedSail Medical Billing, you can:
The result is a near-100% payment rate on vaccine claims and a significantly simplified billing process.
“Pharmacies have always delivered patient care, serving as frontline providers—especially during busy flu seasons when physicians are overwhelmed—yet reimbursement has been the missing piece,” says Fabi Carmona, Senior Director of RedSail Medical Billing, “We built RedSail Medical Billing to close that gap so pharmacists get paid for the care they provide and the recognition they deserve.”
Like any legislation, the Main Street Pharmacy Access Act can’t pass without support from pharmacists, patients, and the public at large.
If you care about the future of pharmacy—as all pharmacists should—we urge you to get involved advocating for the bill. Here’s how you can do it:
Find your House representatives and Senators. Locate their online contact form. Use the following template to begin your message—but take the time to personalize it for your pharmacy.
Subject Line: Please Support the Main Street Pharmacy Access Act (H.R. 3164 / S. 2426)
Dear [Representative/Senator LAST NAME],
As a pharmacist in [CITY, STATE], I urge you to support the Main Street Pharmacy Access Act (H.R. 3164 / S. 2426).
Pharmacists in 47 states already provide test-to-treat services for influenza, strep, RSV, and COVID-19. However, Medicare beneficiaries still face coverage gaps that delay access to timely care.
The Main Street Pharmacy Access Act preserves state-law collaboration, reduces emergency department crowding during respiratory surges, and shortens time-to-therapy for seniors—without expanding pharmacist scope of practice. Please co-sponsor and support the Main Street Pharmacy Access Act.
Sincerely,
[Your Name], [Credentials]
[Pharmacy Name]
[City, State]
Patients are as essential to advocacy as pharmacists are. Whether you’ve known a patient for twenty years or two weeks, the right messaging can encourage them to get involved.
Here are a few tips:
You can also ask patients to share personal stories or testimonials that you can compile and use in your own advocacy efforts.
Ask them how vaccines, testing, and quick treatment have helped them over the years—or how access to community care has affected their lives.
Legislators are more likely to advocate for issues whose impact they can see clearly. As such, make sure that no work you do goes unnoticed.
Use your RedSail PMS system to pull reports, compile data, and show the real impact of what your pharmacy does.
The Main Street Pharmacy Access Act is just one piece of legislation—albeit a major piece of legislation—aimed at expanding pharmacists’ services and reimbursement.
As policymakers begin the long-overdue process of recognizing pharmacists, pharmacists should prepare their operations accordingly.
The coming weeks, months, and years will favor the pharmacists staying ahead of the curve on their operations.
This might include doing the following:
Pharmacists didn’t wait to be recognized during the pandemic—they stepped up and delivered when the healthcare system needed it most. Now, over six years later, it’s time the system gives them the recognition they deserve.
Bills like the Main Street Pharmacy Access Act represent the single most powerful way to do it.
By aligning reimbursement with the services pharmacists already provide, the bill helps keep pharmacies financially viable, expands patient access to timely care, and helps ensure that even the most vulnerable patients aren’t left behind.
With the right policy in place, pharmacies can move from being an emergency solution to a permanent pillar of accessible healthcare.
The question isn’t whether pharmacists should step into this role. It’s whether the system will finally catch up.
To support the Main Street Pharmacy Access Act, contact your representatives here.
