Each year, pharmacy students from across the state gather at the State House in Columbia, SC, to participate in the  South Carolina Pharmacy Association’s  Pharmacy Day at the State House.

Students spend the day interacting with various legislators to discuss the role of pharmacist and learn how they can become more involved with the  governmental procedures when important pharmacy issues come up for a vote.  While calling, emailing, and letter writing are effective routes to promote change, nothing beats a face to face meeting to establish a greater personal significance behind the issues.  A key issue that is being talked about is provider status. Currently, pharmacists are not considered a “provider” in the Social Security Act, which means that they cannot participate in the Part B of the Medicare program and bill Medicare for services that are allowed under their state scope of practice.  Achieving provider status would allow pharmacist to provide more care to their communities than they are currently allowed to do.  Another key issue that is becoming very talked about in the media is drug pricing.  By teaching our students how to engage our legislators, we are ensuring that they will be able to make a positive impact on their profession and truly service our community.