According to a 2021 study, some 75 percent of pharmacists are burnt out. “Some days you’re just clinging on, feels like a fog, then driving home hoping you didn’t miss or cause any drug errors today,” said Paul, a pharmacist in Columbus, Ohio. The consequences of these mistakes can be dire. Pharmacists “can’t spend time talking to their patients, they feel like patient care is suffering, and they often even feel like patient lives are being put at risk,” added Evans.
Now, in addition to vaccination demands, retail pharmacies are making an effort to allow pharmacists to dispense Paxlovid, the Covid antiviral therapy. Pharmacists are torn about this: On the one hand, many support making this treatment more available and being able to bill for the service they’re providing. On the other hand, pharmacists aren’t sure they have the time or ability to prescribe it safely. Paul said that his first Paxlovid prescription took him two hours, “from talking to the patient, reading their profile, and then actually having a discussion with the physician, and ultimately approving the prescription to go out to the pharmacy. And nobody is being compensated for that either.”
CVS’s Paxlovid program is underway at select locations: To be eligible, patients who have tested positive for Covid-19 must fill out an online screener, then schedule a phone call with a pharmacist, and then, if approved, pick up their prescription at a drive-through location or have it delivered. Fraser Engerman, a spokesperson for Walgreens, confirmed that the company is also piloting a program in Kentucky and Florida where pharmacists are able to prescribe and dispense Paxlovid to eligible patients.