Complete Story
09/17/2025
Opposing Federal Legislation Expanding Pharmacist Scope of Practice
Late last month, OSMA joined the American Medical Association and a large group of national and state medical organizations in signing onto a letter to U.S. Senate leadership urging opposition to S. 2426, which has been called the “Equitable Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act (ECAPS) Act.”
The bill creates a pathway for pharmacists to perform Evaluation and Management services for influenza, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), or streptococcal pharyngitis (strep throat). OSMA and the other cosigners believe that this constitutes an alarming and vaguely defined scope of practice expansion that goes well beyond the qualifications and training of a pharmacist.
In the letter, our organizations stressed that S. 2426 is a risk to patient safety as it would allow for a non-physician provider to practice medicine.
We continue to support of the physician-led, team-based approach to patient care, which allows each member of the health care team to serve in a role that is clearly defined and based upon their education and training.