Why Pharmacists Deserve Provider Status — and How It Could Help Our LTC Patients Thrive

At Good Day Pharmacy, we’ve always believed that pharmacists are more than pill counters — we’re care providers, educators, immunizers, problem-solvers, and above all, trusted partners in patient health. That belief rings even truer for our long-term care (LTC) pharmacy team, who go above and beyond daily to support residents in assisted living, skilled nursing, and memory care communities across Colorado.

Now, the nation is finally catching up.

A new bill — the Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act (ECAPS) — is making its way through Congress. If passed, this legislation would officially recognize pharmacists as healthcare providers under Medicare, allowing us to be reimbursed for services we already provide, like vaccines, testing, and treatment for common infectious diseases.

Let’s break it down.

So, What’s the Big Deal?

Right now, when our Good Day Pharmacy LTC team rolls into a community to deliver flu shots or COVID-19 vaccines, the cost of the vaccine itself is covered by Medicare or private insurance. But here’s what isn’t covered:

• Travel time

• Training

• Staff time

• Administrative overhead
  

These are real costs that add up fast — especially when our pharmacists aren’t working behind a counter, but on the road, entering communities, and doing hands-on patient care. It’s the equivalent of doing a house call without getting paid for gas or your time. ECAPS would change that. It gives pharmacists the power to bill Medicare for certain services at 80% of what physicians receive. That means our LTC team can be reimbursed for providing flu shots, COVID care, strep testing, and more — and that’s not just a win for pharmacists, but for the residents we serve. Why This Matters (Now More Than Ever)

Starting in 2026, newly negotiated drug prices under the Inflation Reduction Act are expected to cut into the revenues of LTC pharmacies significantly. In fact, 60% of long-term care pharmacies say the changes could force them to close. That’s devastating news for a healthcare system already short on nurses, caregivers, and resources.

Without financial relief or reimbursement reform, pharmacies across the country — including smaller, community-focused ones — may have to stop offering services like onsite vaccination clinics.

And who suffers most? The residents. The vulnerable seniors who depend on convenient, timely, compassionate care where they live. Good Day’s Long-Term Commitment

At Good Day Pharmacy, our long-term care team is passionate about building lasting partnerships with the communities we serve. We’re not just delivering medications — we’re helping streamline care, provide education, reduce hospital readmissions, and keep residents healthier, longer.

We’ve been the ones rolling up our sleeves (literally and figuratively) to get flu shots into arms, answer complex medication questions, and provide the support that communities need — especially when staffing is stretched thin.

With ECAPS, we can keep doing what we do best without sacrificing sustainability. And for our partners in long-term care communities, that means continued access to:

✅ Onsite vaccination clinics ✅ Personalized medication consultations ✅ Infection prevention support ✅ A pharmacy team that truly cares A Win for Patients, Providers, and the System

As Chad Worz of the American Society for Consultant Pharmacists put it, ECAPS is a win-win-win. It keeps pharmacists at the table as essential players in team-based care. It saves the healthcare system money by improving outcomes. And most importantly, it helps residents in long-term care facilities get the high-quality care they deserve.

At Good Day, we’re hopeful that Congress will act — because our seniors deserve nothing less than our full support. The Critical Role of America’s Pharmacists

• Pharmacists are the most accessible health care provider. Nine in 10 Americans live within five miles of a pharmacy, and patients visit their community pharmacist approximately twice as frequently as they visit primary care physicians.
  

• Pharmacists are often the only qualified health care provider for rural Americans. Rural Americans, especially those in areas where there have been nearly 200 rural hospital closures since 2005, often rely on pharmacists as the only qualified health care provider in their community.
  

• Pharmacists help keep seniors, particularly those living in rural & other underserved communities, healthy. More than half of pharmacists (55%) work in a community-based setting and 77% of community pharmacies serve populations of 50,000 or fewer Want to learn more about how Good Day Pharmacy supports long-term care communities?

Visit our Long-Term Care page here ➜