Journal article
State of the Union 2026: State-Level Updates and National Trends in Pharmacist Payment Reform
JAACP : Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, Vol.9(6), e70214
06/01/2026
DOI: 10.1002/jac5.70214
PMID: 42136118
Abstract
State-level progress toward pharmacist reimbursement continues to expand, prompting the need for periodic updates to prior reviews. The 2024 State of the Union manuscript acknowledged that state laws and Medicaid policies governing pharmacist payment evolve rapidly and would require regular reassessment to maintain accuracy and relevance. This 2026 update responds to that limitation by highlighting new legislative, regulatory, and Medicaid coverage developments enacted since April 2024, refining comparisons across commercial and Medicaid pathways, and providing analysis of emerging trends in pharmacist reimbursement. Since the prior review, substantial changes have occurred in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, and Utah. These updates include expansion of pharmacist test-and-treat authority, new commercial coverage mandates, explicit Medicaid provider enrollment and reimbursement structures, and broadened scope-of-practice provisions tied to payment. While legislative mandates remain a primary vehicle for reform, durable integration of pharmacist services depends on payer infrastructure alignment, health system implementation capacity, and connection to performance-based quality metrics. Collectively, these developments reinforce the emergent bottom-up trajectory of pharmacist reimbursement reform and highlight the steady, incremental strengthening of pharmacist integration within state health systems.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- State of the Union 2026: State-Level Updates and National Trends in Pharmacist Payment Reform
- Creators
- Jonathan HughesE. Michael MurphyKyle RobbOlivia RameyRebecca KhaimovaRyan WargoCarla CobbAshlyn AguinigaSarah AmeringAngela BaalmannGreg CastelliAmber MercuroJennifer AdamsJoe AndersonJordan Marie BallouKacee BlackwellLauren BodeMeagan BrownKyle BryanJohn D. BucheitBradley BurkFaria ChaudhryMelanie ClabornLucas CoodyAlly Dering-AndersonMelanie DoddDiane ErdmanKirk EvoySarah GradyElizabeth HearnAlexander HoffmanAlexis HoraceBrooke HudspethChelsea HuppertAnthony M. IshakBlake JohnsonEllen JonesChelsea KeedyMatt KostoffDevin LavenderSara LingowBrody MaackJoel MarrsBen MiskleInsaf MohammadAnne Marie NolenNathan PainterMatthew PitlickJarred PrudencioKrystal RiccioJohn David ScheperChristina H. SherrillChristie SchumacherSean SmithgallAlejandro VazquezElizabeth Van DrilMegan WeslingSarah WestbergSarah E. WheelerBradly WinterYvette ZengAdv Pharmacist Payment Par Workgroup
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- JAACP : Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, Vol.9(6), e70214
- DOI
- 10.1002/jac5.70214
- PMID
- 42136118
- NLM abbreviation
- J Am Coll Clin Pharm
- ISSN
- 2574-9870
- eISSN
- 2574-9870
- Grant note
- Massachusetts General HospitalMABlake JohnsonAmbulatory Care Auburn University (http://data.elsevier.com/vocabulary/SciValFunders/100007579) Roseman University of Health SciencesNVJohn David Scheper Jr.System Southwestern Oklahoma State UniversityOKLucas CoodyDirector College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky (http://data.elsevier.com/vocabulary/SciValFunders/100019888) North Dakota State University (http://data.elsevier.com/vocabulary/SciValFunders/100006351) University of New Mexico (http://data.elsevier.com/vocabulary/SciValFunders/100007179) University of PittsburghPA NCGreg CastelliDirector Care Clinical Pharmacist
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 06/01/2026
- Academic Unit
- Psychiatry; Addiction Medicine; Pharmacy Practice and Science
- Record Identifier
- 9985166827802771
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