Pharmacists Expand Clinical Footprint Across U.S. Hospitals

ASHP Survey Reports Growth in Pharmacy Roles in Hospital and Ambulatory Care

BETHESDA, Md., June 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Health-system pharmacists are playing a larger role in frontline patient care, reflecting a sharp increase in clinical involvement and more than a decade of steady growth in their roles on the care team, according to the 2024 ASHP National Survey of Pharmacy Practice in Hospital Settings published today in AJHP.

More than 75% of U.S. hospitals now assign pharmacists to provide direct care to most inpatients, including high-intensity units such as critical care (68.5%), oncology (56.9%), cardiology (48.5%), infectious disease/antimicrobial stewardship (48.1%), and emergency departments (46.5%). This marks a dramatic rise compared to a decade ago.

"Our survey findings reflect the growing recognition of the critical role pharmacy professionals play on healthcare teams in hospital and health-system settings," said ASHP CEO Paul W. Abramowitz, PharmD, ScD (Hon), FASHP. "Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are increasingly part of care models that lead to improved patient outcomes in our healthcare system."

One example is anticoagulation therapy. In 2024, 63.2% of hospitals reported pharmacists routinely managing anticoagulant dosing, up from 54.7% in 2019 and 42.6% in 2016. Nearly 90% of hospitals also rely on pharmacists to provide pre-discharge education on these therapies, reinforcing their central role in ensuring safe, effective treatment.

Pharmacists are also playing a growing role in ambulatory care. Nearly 72% of hospitals with outpatient clinics now deploy pharmacists in those clinics to manage chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. With authority to monitor labs, adjust medications, and authorize refills, ambulatory pharmacists are improving access to care and helping offset physician shortages.

Pharmacist involvement in emergency departments has surged over the past decade, rising from just 10.9% of hospitals in 2011 to nearly half today. This growth underscores pharmacists' expanding role in high-pressure environments where fast, accurate medication decisions are critical to patient care.

Even as pharmacists expand their clinical roles, they are also leading efforts to manage persistent drug and staffing shortages. Depending on hospital size, pharmacy staff spend up to 66 hours per week mitigating drug shortages in 2024. These demands are compounded by ongoing shortages within the pharmacy workforce.

"In large hospitals, managing drug shortages now requires staff time equivalent to 1.5 full-time employees," said Michael Ganio, PharmD, MS, FASHP, ASHP's senior director of pharmacy practice and quality and a co-author of the study. "That's a significant resource commitment layered on top of pharmacists' expanding clinical contributions, and it's happening at a time when hospital staffing is stressed across the entire care team."

Pharmacy technicians are also taking on broader roles that support both patient care and operational efficiency. In addition to traditional dispensing duties, technicians are increasingly involved in prior authorizations, medication histories, and quality assurance. Many are also stepping into advanced roles overseeing compliance with the 340B Drug Pricing Program, pharmacy IT systems, and regulatory functions.

Even as technicians step into more advanced roles, shortages across the pharmacy workforce remain a constraint. Nearly 88% of hospitals report shortages of experienced pharmacy technicians, with more than 92% reporting shortages of technicians with sterile compounding experience. Over half of hospitals also report insufficient clinical pharmacy specialists, and 64% cite entry-level technician shortages, highlighting the need for continued investment in workforce development.

In 2024, ASHP launched The Pharmacy Technician Society (TPTS) to support the advancement, retention, and growth of the technician profession. ASHP also introduced a national public awareness campaign, "We're Your Pharmacist," to raise public awareness of pharmacists' vital roles in patient care in hospitals and health systems.

"ASHP is actively investing in workforce development to recruit and inspire the next generation of pharmacy professionals," said Abramowitz. "We believe our efforts to empower pharmacy technicians across all practice settings and showcase the essential role pharmacists play on hospital and health-system care teams will help ensure a strong pipeline of these practitioners for the future."

The ASHP National Survey of Pharmacy Practice in Hospital Settings has tracked the evolution of hospital pharmacy services for more than 50 years. The 2024 survey includes responses from 250 hospitals, with data weighted to reflect national estimates.

About ASHP
ASHP is the largest association of pharmacy professionals in the United States, representing 60,000 pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians in all patient care settings, including hospitals, ambulatory clinics, and health-system community pharmacies. For over 80 years, ASHP has championed innovation in pharmacy practice, advanced education and professional development, and served as a steadfast advocate for members and patients. In addition, ASHP is the accrediting body for pharmacy residency and technician training programs and provides comprehensive resources to support pharmacy professionals through every stage of their careers. For more information, visit ashp.org, SafeMedication.com, and yourpharmacist.org.

SOURCE ASHP (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists)