Arizona’s Rx for Healthcare: Let Pharmacists Help

The Arizona Senate has taken a significant step toward improving healthcare accessibility, passing SB1214 with wide bipartisan support. Sponsored by Senator TJ Shope, this urgently reform expands pharmacists’ scope of practice to more effectively address the healthcare needs of Arizonans.  

Specifically, the legislation permits pharmacists to independently order, administer, and interpret authorized tests, and provide treatment for eligible patients with certain medical conditions.  

Arizona is one of the few states that prevents pharmacists from providing these essential healthcare services, even though pharmacists receive extensive education in this area and must complete 1,740 hours of clinical patient care training. These services include tests that meet federal quality standards—many of which are so simple and low-risk that they can already be purchased over the counter and performed at home. Arizona pharmacists are also barred from prescribing medication for common illnesses like the flu and strep throat, which can be diagnosed with a simple test. 

Due to a growing shortage of primary care workers in the state and a lack of doctors’ offices in rural and other underserved communities, 30% of Arizonans do not have access to primary care physicians. The common-sense reforms advanced by SB1214 would remove unnecessary limits on a pharmacist’s scope of practice, allowing patients to get the care and treatment they need from a qualified medical professional. 

Arizona lawmakers can ensure that pharmacists are able to meet the needs of Arizonans and thus improve healthcare accessibility. We urge legislators to vote yes to pass this meaningful reform aimed at helping address Arizona’s healthcare accessibility crisis. 

Markus Groves is a Ronald Reagan Fellow at the Goldwater Institute.