Becker's asked pharmacy executives from hospitals and health systems across the U.S. to share the areas they're focusing on for 2025.
The 10 executives featured in this article are all speaking at the Becker's Healthcare Spring Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit, April 30 - May 1, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
To learn more about this event, click here.
If you would like to join as a speaker or a reviewer, contact Mariah Muhammad at mmuhammad@beckershealthcare.com or agendateam@beckershealthcare.com.
For more information on sponsorship opportunities or vendor access-only badges, contact Jessica Cole at jcole@beckershealthcare.com.
As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who will speak at our conference. The following are answers from our speakers at the event.
Question: What are the top headwinds you're preparing for in 2025?
Quan Pho, PharmD. Senior Director of Pharmacy at AdventHealth (Altamonte Springs, Fla.):
- Pharmacy's role in navigating the financial pressures of unreimbursed care and evolving policies from governmental agencies and insurers (example 340b).
- The rise of innovative but costly therapies, including cell and gene therapies, is reshaping healthcare access and financial sustainability.
- Shortages in primary care providers, thoughts of expanding the role of pharmacists could alleviate some strains on the system.
- Integrating whole-person health into medication management (AdventHealth imperative).
- AI and how this will reshape the conversation.
Matthew Webber. Director of Pharmacy Business at Novant Health (Winston-Salem, N.C.): In 2025, key headwinds include navigating potential changes to the 340B program and preparing for the impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act. Increasing and everchanging contract pharmacy restrictions and the emergence of 340B rebate models threaten to alter the 340B program, requiring strategic adjustments to maintain program compliance while minimizing the regulatory burden on covered entities. The Inflation Reduction Act will reshape reimbursement dynamics, requiring pharmacies to navigate increased administrative complexities while ensuring patient access to critical medications, making preparation for 2026 a key focus for 2025. Preparing for these challenges involves advocating for policy stability, optimizing 340B program management, and implementing data-driven strategies to mitigate patient disruption and maintain access to care.
Trish Tanner, DPh. Chief Pharmacy Officer and Vice President of Pharmacy Services at Ballad Health (Johnson City, Tenn.): Not new, but 2025 headwinds facing pharmacy leaders include pharmacy automation and efficiencies (See: autonomouspharmacy.org) to offset ongoing staffing challenges and burnout along with balancing rising costs and drug shortages. While there is a lot to unpack here, these challenges are not new to pharmacy leaders. However, innovation is key to success in the healthcare space.
Tim Cmelik. Chief Pharmacy of Central Arkansas Veterans Health System (Little Rock): My pharmacy services are preparing for:
- Budget and full time employee restrictions for most of the next year
- Remaining flexible and adaptable to meeting patients needs with the Baxter IV fluid shortages
- Developing contingency plans for possible impacts beyond pharmacy control such as the two points above, unplanned inspections, and natural disasters.
Adetoro Oriaifo, PharmD. Chief Pharmacy Officer of Total Health Care, Inc. (Baltimore): At THC pharmacies, the top headwinds we're preparing for in 2025 revolve around three critical areas: regulatory changes, workforce challenges, and advancing technology adoption.
- Regulatory challenges:
The healthcare landscape is evolving, with new regulations impacting programs like 340B and pharmacy reimbursement models. Ensuring compliance while advocating for the sustainability of these critical programs is a top priority. We're also monitoring potential shifts in drug pricing legislation that could affect our ability to provide affordable care to underserved populations. - Workforce dynamics:
Recruiting, training, and retaining skilled pharmacy staff remain significant challenges. With the ongoing pharmacy workforce shortages, we're investing in professional development initiatives, such as the Maryland Board of Pharmacy Technician Apprentice Program, to build a pipeline of future talent. Creating a culture of engagement and well-being for our team is also a focus to mitigate burnout. - Technology integration and optimization:
As we implement new systems like ScriptPro and expand patient-facing technologies such as refill app and patient portals, ensuring seamless adoption is essential. Balancing innovation with user-friendliness and minimizing disruptions to patient care will be key to success. Additionally, we're looking at ways to use data analytics to improve patient adherence and outcomes while maintaining operational efficiency.
Overall, we're focusing on staying agile, leveraging partnerships, and aligning our strategies with the needs of the communities we serve. By tackling these headwinds proactively, we can continue delivering patient-centered, high-quality care.
Dorinda Segovia, PharmD. Vice President and Chief Pharmacy Officer of Memorial Healthcare System (Hollywood, Fla.): In 2025 we can expect continuation of workforce challenges and pressures to develop sustainable strategies, including increased reliance on technology and artificial intelligence to maintain a thriving , resilient workforce despite the gap.
The expansion of value-based care models will continue leading to a hyper focus on value. Much more time and energy will be spent on initiatives with high outcome yield providing an ecosystem to showcase the potential of cohesive and integrated pharmacy services across the continuum of care within health systems.
With the growth projections in the specialty infusion space, there will be increased efforts in keeping up with growing competition, patient and payer preferences for these services and developing mitigating strategies to manage site of care challenges.
Darra Edwards, PharmD. Corporate Director of Pharmacy 340B Programs at Prime Healthcare (Ontario, Calif.): An often overlooked and underappreciated area that has profound significance for many not-for-profit healthcare systems is the shifting landscape for 340B covered entities due to changes in pharmaceutical manufacturer policies regarding contract pharmacy utilization and the recent lawsuit filed by Johnson & Johnson against the Health Resources and Services Administration challenging HRSA's position on using a rebate model to provide 340B pricing to disproportionate share hospitals.
If J&J is successful in their challenge to HRSA's position in federal court, the proposed rebate model will result in an immediate increase in financial burden on DSH hospitals that already incur significant financial losses from uncompensated care. Additionally, many of the programs and services offered by DSH hospitals to improve healthcare access in their communities are financially supported by the immediate savings received from direct 340B purchasing through their pharmaceutical wholesalers. If a 340B rebate model were implemented by multiple manufacturers, DSH hospitals will need to assess how the financial burden of purchasing pharmaceuticals at wholesale acquisition cost will impact their delivery of expanded healthcare access programs while waiting for the manufacturer 340B rebate which may be delayed.
Keith J. Mueller, PhD. Director of Rural Policy Research Institute, Health Management and Policy Department at University of Iowa (Iowa City): As a policy analyst and researcher focused on rural health services, I see three major headwinds in 2025. First, a rapid dispersion of AI technology will provide opportunities to stretch scarce human resources by relieving practitioners of administrative tasks, but the other side of the coin is dogmatic use of AI-driven algorithms by payers may be difficult to challenge for small rural clinics. Second, I see more involvement of equity investors in healthcare, which may threaten continuation of low-volume, low-margin organizations providing essential services in rural communities. Third, transition to new value-based payment arrangements is initially challenging to rural providers who lack scale and management systems to easily transition and for whom shifting away from existing payment arrangements that adjust for low volume is risky. However, the transition could be highly beneficial if new arrangements allow more appropriate investment in essential health and human services in rural communities, while fairly compensating for fixed costs spread across low volume.
Charlie Waters, PharmD. System Vice President of Pharmacy Services at ECU Health (Greenville, N.C.): 2025 or even 2026 are likely to be pivotal years for health system pharmacy programs due to potential changes within the 340B landscape, an ageing workforce of pharmacists combined with recent years of declining admissions and the changing from a traditional retail pharmacy model to a mail order approach for consumers. It’s important that organizations focus their efforts to care for patients in rural areas that are changing into "pharmacy deserts" to avoid increased readmissions and poor outcomes. Technology challenges for older patients can lead to challenges in them adopting newer pharmacy options such as mail order programs.
Edith Okolo, PharmD. Director of Pharmacy at Cedar Crest Hospital (Belton, Texas): In the healthcare industry and as direct patient care staff, one of the anticipated headwinds is medication shortages which have become exacerbated after COVID-19. Manufacturer issues with raw materials, quality issues like recalls and production delays or discontinuation of certain medication has all compounded the shortages. The AI technology and the significant impact it will have on our operations and the healthcare industry particularly the pharmacy portion.