Pharmacist prescriptive authority in Idaho

Publication id: shakya-2024-pharmacist-idaho
Status: verified

Citation: Shakya, S., Plemmons, A., Bae, K., & Timmons, E. (2024). The pharmacist will see you now: Pharmacist prescriptive authority and access to care in Idaho. Contemporary Economic Policy. Download

Facts¶

Policy hook¶

Scope-of-practice restrictions limit healthcare access for time-sensitive conditions. When Idaho granted pharmacists prescriptive authority, did it improve access to critical treatments like rescue inhalers and insulin pen needles?

Main finding¶

Pharmacist prescriptive authority in Idaho increased Medicare Part D claims, 30-day fills, and 30-day supplies of albuterol sulfate and insulin pen needles, providing approximately three additional patients per pharmacist timely care.

Data and setting¶

Medicare beneficiaries in Idaho following HB 191 (2018); permitted pharmacists to prescribe 20 drug and device categories; policy rolled out January 2019.

Research design (plain language)¶

Evaluation of Idaho’s pioneering pharmacist prescriptive authority policy measuring claims and fill data before and after July 2018 Board of Pharmacy implementation rules.

One caveat¶

Focuses on Medicare beneficiaries only; does not measure broader population impacts, emergency department utilization, or whether access improvements translated to health outcome gains.

PDF or DOI¶

Publisher page

Why it matters¶

Pharmacists are highly trained but underutilized in many states. This paper demonstrates that relaxing scope-of-practice restrictions improves real-world access to time-sensitive medications. The finding is particularly important for rural areas where pharmacies are present but physician offices are not—pharmacist prescribing authority can fill that gap. For Medicare beneficiaries, better access to rescue inhalers and insulin supplies means better disease management and fewer emergency hospitalizations. For pharmacies and pharmacy chains, the result validates expanded roles as a competitive and social advantage. For other states considering similar legislation, Idaho provides evidence that the change works—access improves without apparent downsides. The limitation (Medicare-only data) is important: young people, uninsured populations, and non-Medicare seniors may show different patterns. But the proof-of-concept is strong: professional licensing reform can address access barriers when credentialing processes ensure quality.