Over 90% of Americans live within 5 miles of a pharmacy, yet they struggle to access quality medication management and chronic disease support. Pharmacists are positioned to fill this need, and clinical consulting offers you a pathway to do exactly that while building your own flexible, fulfilling career.  

Why Pharmacists Should Pursue Clinical Consulting?  

Patients need your expertise. Chronic disease burden is crippling our healthcare teams. Hospitals are plagued by preventable medication-related harm or worsening of uncontrolled conditions. Evidence shows pharmacists are superior in managing hypertension, psychiatrists are leaning into pharmacists for medication management, and primary care is doing the same for conditions like diabetes, asthma, COPD, or ASCVD.  

So where do you even start? The obvious steps include checking your state board for legal requirements, ensuring you have liability insurance, deciding between legal entities if you decide to start a business, but don’t spend too long here or you’ll get stuck in analysis-paralysis.  

Move forward by identifying what your strengths are for providing clinical services. Look inward as well as outward for topics others rely on your help for or an area you continue to see a growing need for services in your community. There’s a variety of options like diabetes, hypertension, insulin management, mental health, functional medicine, PGX etc. 

Who are you planning to help? These avenues come to mind, all with their own benefits: Clinical consulting for physician practices, in pharmacies, or for patients directly. 

Define your clinical services by becoming familiar with the various services available. Patient education, medication management, disease management, refill and prior authorization support, chronic care management, and remote patient monitoring are clinical services that are a prime opportunity for pharmacists. 

How Do I Get Paid?

Let’s talk hard stuff. I know you’re thinking, “How do I get paid?”.   

Cash pay consults and membership models can be amazing long-term strategies that just take time to build; don’t rule them out. The good news!? We’ve found 14 ways to get paid for a pharmacist’s clinical services – only one involves traditional medical billing. Start with the basics with Ashley’s “Guide to 4 Clinical Visits for Consulting Pharmacists” to walk you through reimbursable visit types so you can start earning now, not later. 

Expert tip for marketing your services -create marketing materials like flyers, one-pagers, and business cards with a crystal clear offer that answers: What’s in it for your client? Finally, don’t wait for permission to start sharing. Every “no” is one step closer to your first “yes”. The only way to move your consulting further is to start talking about it. Pharmacists’ impact is undeniable – it’s time you charge for it with these valuable services. 

Download the guide here. Make the offer. Help patients. Get paid for your expertise.  

-Dr. Ashley Kay Pendrick, PharmD, BCGP, believes every primary care practice and pharmacy should have clinical pharmacist services to improve patient care, revenue, and outcomes, and she built the Primary Care Pharmacy Institute by Prosper Rx Consulting, empowering pharmacists to make this happen in more communities. 

Written by: Dr. Ashley Kay Pendrick, PharmD, BCGP