You need more access points. How much money would be attached to McGovern's legislation is unknown. The pharmacist shortage is occurring at a time when the job itself is undergoing dramatic changes. Foremost, training has lengthened. While a pharmacy student used to get five years' schooling, current requirements call for six years.
Pharmacists also work harder.
On average, a retail druggist filled 17,400 prescriptions in 1992, according to the federal report. In 1999, the number rose to 22,900. Along with that increased workload has come increasing insurance paperwork, the No. 1 complaint among many pharmacists. The problems range from patients with cancelled coverage to prescription drug cards with outdated numbers to insurance policies that reimburse for one medication but not another manufacturer's equal. A pharmacist and a team of technicians can spend an afternoon in phone calls just to unravel the messes.