Pharmacy services in rural areas: is the problem geographic access or financial access?
Access to pharmacy services is an important rural health policy issue but limited research has been conducted on it. This article describes rural retail pharmacies in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, including their organizational characteristics, staffing, services provided, and planned future changes; examines the availability of pharmacy services and pharmacy closures in rural areas of these three states; and briefly discusses policy issues that affect the delivery of pharmacy services in rural areas. Study data came from a phone survey of 537 rural pharmacies, an analysis of pharmacy licensure data, and phone interviews with clinic, public health, and social services staff in rural communities with potential pharmacy access problems. Using a standard of 20 miles to the nearest pharmacy, most rural residents of these three states currently have adequate geographic access to pharmacy services. However, rural pharmacists and clinic, public health, and social services staff rate financial access to pharmacy services for the elderly and the uninsured as a major problem. Key policy issues that will affect future access to pharmacy services in rural areas include pharmacy staffing and relief coverage; alternative methods of providing pharmacy services; thefinancial viability of rural pharmacies; and the potential impact of a Medicare prescription benefit on rural consumers and rural pharmacies.
Casey
Michelle M
MM
Rural Health Research Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55414, USA. mcasey@tc.umn.edu
Klingner
Jill
J
Moscovice
Ira
I
D005843:Geography; D017048:Health Care Costs; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008910:Minnesota; D009658:North Dakota; D010067:Ownership; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; D010593:Pharmaceutical Services / Q000191:economics* / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D013023:South Dakota