Majority of pharmacists concerned about inflation and labour issues

A new survey released by the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) shows that 76% of community pharmacy owners and managers in the U.S. have experienced staff shortages in the last six months and are having a tough time filling positions. Some 73% of respondents said they’re dealing with the labor shortage by offering higher wages and benefits, while 54% said lack of staff means it is taking longer to fill patient prescriptions. More than 88% of respondents this year also said finding pharmacy techs was their number one problem, followed by front-end staff at 56%. “You take the labor shortage, which was acute last year, and add runaway inflation this year, and you have challenging conditions for local, independent pharmacies,” said NCPA CEO and pharmacist B. Douglas Hoey in a statement. Inflation and shortages affecting business The vast majority of respondents (93%) feel inflation has negatively affected their business this year and 68% are concerned it will continue to be a challenge. “The cost of drugs is determined by big insurance companies and their pharmacy benefit managers,” said Hoey. “They decide how much pharmacies will be reimbursed for the prescriptions they dispense, and how much patients will pay for the drugs…between rising costs and diminishing reimbursements, neighborhood pharmacies are really being squeezed.” Persistent supply shortages that started at the onset of the pandemic are contributing to the problem. Almost 80% of respondents said they've been affected by supply-chain issues and almost two-thirds have had trouble accessing the drug Adderall in particular, which is commonly used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity. Tampon shortages no longer seem to be an issue as purported earlier. “The COVID-19 pandemic may have loosened its grip in many ways, but the economic effects are very persistent,” said Hoey. Find more survey results here. Read: Ontario hospitals preparing for possible shortage of epidural catheters

Majority of pharmacists concerned about inflation and labour issues

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