Expert Q&A: Building the Pharmacist of the Future

In our Second Health System Pharmacy Market Outlook Report, Rafael Saenz, Vice President of Knowledge Management and Thought Leadership, MS, FASHP, explores modern workforce dynamics impacting health systems and what they can do to prepare to achieve more for the future.

Our editorial team sat down with Saenz to dig deeper into the report's insights. In this conversation, he shares his perspective on talent shortages, expanding pharmacist responsibilities, and the opportunities ahead for health systems willing to rethink the future of pharmacy.

You've been in this industry for over two decades. Since then, what would you say has changed most dramatically about the business of pharmacy today?

Rafael: A patient used to go into a pharmacy and say, “My physician recommended or prescribed this product to me,” and we’d give it to them.

Nowadays, pharmacists are expected to be total care providers. Meaning we’re no longer only telling patients how to use a drug, but we’re helping them maneuver the bureaucracy and complexities of our system to actually get the drug. We’re helping patients through payment and prior authorizations, jumping through all the hoops they don’t necessarily know about or understand.

We’re often caught in the middle between the patient and the payer, and the patient and the provider. Because of that, pharmacists serve as the “tour guide” through this labyrinth that is the patient care experience.

We understand this dynamic well. It shapes how McKesson works alongside health systems to reduce operational friction, so pharmacists can focus on providing this total care experience.

One of the most current issues pharmacy faces is resource constraints, especially as enrollment in pharmacy schools continues to decline. What can health systems do to ensure access to the talent they need five to 10 years from now?

Rafael: Pharmacy is losing a public relations war right now with itself. What you see in the news cycles is that pharmacists are burnt out, they’re forced to work through breaks, they're being overrun by volumes and prior authorizations.

Ensuring talent over time means being clear about what pharmacy is and isn't. Then, we have to make operational changes that get us to that vision of what we feel the profession should be doing. This might be hard to stomach for a lot of pharmacists, but that involves giving up some traditional duties. For example, deputizing pharmacy paraprofessionals like technicians to do more moving of the drug from point A to point B and getting it ready to go so that the pharmacist can truly exercise that “top of the license mentality” to better care for patients.

The holy grail is taking steps to make clinical work equal to productivity in a way that makes sense to hospital and pharmacy administrators everywhere. Right now, pharmacists don't get paid for talking to patients. They get paid for moving the drug. And that is what kills the spirit of a pharmacist.

We can also encourage younger generations to become pharmacists by talking about the versatility of the degree. I tell graduates all the time that a pharmacy degree is a passport to do anything. You can become a retail pharmacist, a hospital pharmacist, you can go into administration, couple it with an MBA or an MD. I've known pharmacists in every imaginable field, like entrepreneurship, tech, and government.

Coupling a PharmD degree with any other degree accelerates what you can do as a pharmacist or as a professional in any other industry, especially if it pertains to healthcare.

As an expert in our Second Health System Pharmacy Market Outlook Report, you discuss how pharmacy roles are expanding. What are the biggest gaps you see between current capabilities and future expectations for health systems?

Rafael: Health systems, especially those who train pharmacists within these systems, need to start viewing the pharmacist as a much more capable individual than simply a drug expert in any one area.

Pharmacists today need to be able to manage the entirety of the business while remaining specialists. Meaning, if I am a pharmacist oncology specialist, I’m still dealing with issues within IT, payer navigation, and care coordination.

A truly effective pharmacist needs to understand all the different variables and components that go into acquiring a medication for a patient at an affordable price in a timely manner. They should think of themselves as the CEO of their own practice and understand all components of the business: principles of management, supply chain, communications, financial opportunities.

If a pharmacist can do all those things, they become the most valuable member of the team.

As pharmacy takes on a more strategic role within the health system, what skills will be most important for Chief Pharmacy Officers (CPOs)? 

Rafael: I would say continuing to embrace their pharmacist's identity because they understand how to solve problems. I've never met a pharmacist who was stumped by an issue. Whether it is one of access, communication, care, or even affordability and payment. A pharmacist navigates complicated bureaucratic systems for the benefit of the patient.

I've never met a pharmacist who was stumped by a problem. Whether it is one of access, communication, care, or even affordability and payment. A pharmacist navigates complicated bureaucratic systems for the benefit of the patient.

When you get to the CPO level, you face the same challenges; they just look a little different. For example, nursing might have a logistics issue. CPOs happen to be supply chain experts. If there’s an issue with scheduling, guess what? Pharmacists run complicated businesses with multiple sites and multiple staffing levels and happen to be good at scheduling. What CPOs need to learn is how to solve problems using their already acquired expertise in various out-of-pharmaceutical-context arenas, such as nursing, labs, radiology, and more.

When they do that, pharmacists are not only then seen as a member of the C-Suite, but they also create a reputation for solving problems, which creates growth opportunities for the larger system.

What should pharmacists and health systems prioritize over the next 12 to 18 months?

Rafael: It’s been staring us in the face. Truly innovative and forward-thinking health system pharmacies are figuring out a way to work with AI to accelerate the capabilities of their clinical and operational staff. And it’s not just AI. From demand forecasting to inventory intelligence, McKesson offers analytics and automation tools built to help health systems make this transition.

The physical manifestation of moving drugs from point A to point B is still necessary but antiquated. There is a new way of working now. We need to utilize the tools at our disposal in this day and age to evolve into more patient-forward, patient-centric health care professionals across all settings.

What mindset shift will be most important for the future?

Rafael: Pharmacists truly need to embrace an entrepreneurial mindset. Earlier, I mentioned they need to become CEOs of their own practice. I wasn't being whimsical; I mean it. We need to understand the business of pharmacy in its totality and how it relates to clinical care of a patient, on top of having trust and faith in our abilities to take care of patients effectively.

When we do that, we can become a guide to better health for each and every one of our patients.

Thank you, Rafael, for sharing your perspective on the trends shaping the future of health systems. For more insights on workforce dynamics, operational challenges, and emerging pharmacy trends, and how McKesson helps the business of pharmacy achieve more for the advancement of patient health, download the Second Health System Pharmacy Market Outlook Report.

Sources:

1: https://news.ashp.org/News/ashp-news/2025/06/25/pharmacists-expand-clinical-footprint-across-us-hospitals