The Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners (JCPP) convened national pharmacy association leaders in Alexandria, VA, on January 14, 2026, for a meeting focused on “Policy Challenges Impacting Distribution and Access to Pharmaceuticals and Pharmacists’ Services.” CEOs, presidents, and senior staff met to examine how rapidly evolving federal and global policy developments are reshaping medication access, pharmacy practice models, and patient care.
During the meeting the attendees honored the retirement of long-time association leader and ASHP CEO, Paul Abramowitz, recognizing his decades of service to hospital and health-system pharmacy and his leadership within the pharmacy profession.
Across three keynote policy sessions, national experts guided participants through the intersecting forces shaping distribution and access. Katheryne Richardson, PharmD, Chief Strategy Officer at Second Sight, provided a strategic overview of the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) impact on the healthcare ecosystem, focusing on how drug price negotiations, rebates, and patient cost caps influence pharmacy operations, reimbursement, and patient access to medications. Her session highlighted evolving payer–manufacturer–provider dynamics, potential disruptions to pharmacy-based care delivery models, and the leadership and advocacy priorities required for pharmacy organizations to remain central in federal negotiations and patient outcomes improvement.
Lisa Kennedy, PhD, Chief Economist and Managing Principal at Innopiphany, examined foreign drug pricing policies and their impact on patient and provider access. She explored how tools such as international reference pricing, parallel importation, and government-negotiated purchasing frameworks used in other countries affect drug costs, supply stability, reimbursement systems, and clinical practice—areas where pharmacists play a pivotal role. The discussion drew connections between global pricing strategies and current U.S. policy debates, emphasizing the need for pharmacy leaders to proactively engage in conversations that influence both domestic and international medication access.
Joel White, Partner and Health Care Practice Head at Monument Advocacy, addressed Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) purchaser strategy policy and its implications for pharmacists’ relationships with patients, payers, and manufacturers. His remarks covered Most Favored Nation (MFN) drug pricing concepts, emerging DTC acquisition and transparency models, and the evolving role of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), helping participants assess how changing drug payment and distribution structures may either strengthen or strain pharmacist–patient–manufacturer relationships.
In the final session, Scott D. Pope, PharmD, Chief Growth Officer at In Scope Ventures, discussed the expanding role of digital pharmacies across the patient care continuum. He outlined emerging digital pharmacy models, regulatory considerations, and multistate operational challenges, while exploring collaboration opportunities between technology-enabled and community pharmacies in dispensing, counseling, and follow-up care. The conversation emphasized how digital platforms are transforming access to prescriptions, telehealth services, and pharmacist-provided care, and identified future areas for expansion and partnership.
The meeting concluded with a structured discussion of key takeaways and next steps, as JCPP members identified shared advocacy priorities and collaborative opportunities to ensure pharmacists remain integral to efforts that advance equitable access, affordability, and high-quality medication use. The next JCPP meeting will be on June 25, 2026.
