Pharmacy is often treated as a behind-the-scenes function in federal healthcare—but it may hold the key to unlocking faster, smarter, and more equitable care. With over 18 years of experience supporting pharmacy operations across VA and IHS facilities, ACF Technologies has seen firsthand how modernizing these systems can transform the entire patient journey. Keep reading to learn more.
When we talk about the future of healthcare, pharmacy services rarely dominate the conversation. They aren’t flashy. They don’t headline innovation reports. They’re often boxed into discussions about cost containment or supply chain logistics. But here’s the truth: pharmacy operations sit at the core of the healthcare experience. And if we’re serious about transforming federal healthcare—from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to the Indian Health Service (IHS)—then it’s time we give pharmacy the leadership spotlight it deserves.
Because right now, it’s not just pills that are delayed. It’s progress.
The Pharmacy Crisis Hiding in Plain Sight
In our 18 years of experience working with federal pharmacies, for too long we have seen, pharmacy services treated as an operational afterthought. The result? Delays in prescription fulfillment, overwhelmed pharmacists, supply inconsistencies, and disconnected care. At the VA, nearly 20% of outpatient prescriptions reviewed in a 2023 Office of Inspector General report were not filled within timeliness standards—affecting patient experience and, in some cases, treatment adherence.
In IHS facilities, the problem is further compounded by geography and workforce shortages. A 2023 GAO report found that nearly 70% of IHS facilities lacked the full-time healthcare professionals needed to sustain basic operations, including pharmacy staff. This results in medication access delays in rural and tribal areas, contributing to preventable complications and health inequities.
These aren’t isolated pain points but rather they’re structural signals that pharmacy must evolve.
What Pharmacy Innovation Really Means
Too often, we think of pharmacy upgrades in terms of automation: machines that sort pills faster, apps that track inventory, self-service kiosks for refills. Those matter but they only scratch the surface.
True pharmacy innovation means reimagining the entire system from the patient outward. What if getting your medication wasn’t a separate, delayed part of the process—but seamlessly built into your care experience? What if pharmacy was not a follow-up, but a facilitator?
The VA’s Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP) program hints at what’s possible. Each CMOP facility can fill over 100,000 prescriptions per day with an accuracy rate of 99.999%—a stunning success in automation, efficiency, and error prevention. Yet, many local VA facilities still rely heavily on manual workflows, limiting access to this level of performance.
Similarly, IHS telepharmacy pilots, like those highlighted in a 2023 National Library of Medicine study, have shown that remote verification, medication therapy management, and pharmacist consultations are not only feasible in tribal areas, but effective. They improve patient education, reduce unnecessary travel, and close clinical gaps in regions where staffing is consistently thin.
What’s missing isn’t the toolset, it’s the decision to lead with it.
Leadership Is the Missing Ingredient
Technology is never the hard part. Vision is.
The challenge before federal healthcare leaders is not simply upgrading infrastructure—it’s building new expectations. It’s deciding that pharmacy isn’t a support function buried under paperwork—it’s a clinical engine that can drive outcomes, improve equity, and enhance patient trust.
This takes boldness. It means pushing back on outdated workflows and reassigning priorities. It means empowering pharmacists as clinical collaborators, not just fulfillment agents. And it means recognizing that in many federal facilities, the prescription journey is the patient journey. If it’s broken, everything else cracks.
The VA’s 2024 Health Care Innovation Strategy explicitly identifies pharmacy modernization as a key objective. But in a system as large and decentralized as the VA, vision on paper won’t be enough. Execution requires alignment across IT, clinical leadership, and logistics.
For IHS, innovation must be tailored. Most tribal facilities operate with limited broadband and budget, which means that scalable, flexible solutions like remote dispensing systems and mobile-enabled platforms offer the clearest path forward. But the leadership mindset must remain consistent: pharmacy is not a side process. It is the frontline of federal care.
The Time for Caution Has Passed
Every federal agency navigating care delivery today is facing similar headwinds: staffing shortages, tightening budgets, increased demand, and growing public scrutiny. But amid these challenges is also an opportunity because the expectations for what’s possible have shifted.
Patients no longer measure success solely by bedside manner. They measure it by speed, convenience, and clarity. A 2023 Accenture report revealed that 79% of healthcare consumers say ease of digital access is a key factor in their satisfaction. They expect to track their prescriptions like a package. They expect to be notified if there’s a delay. And they expect their experience with federal healthcare to feel modern instead of bureaucratic.
This isn’t unrealistic. It’s overdue.
The VA, IHS, and other federal systems are uniquely positioned to lead this transformation. With scale, structure, and mission-driven teams, they can model what 21st-century pharmacy leadership looks like. But they must choose to.
A Final Thought: What If This Is the Moment?
We are not lacking the innovation to fix this. We are lacking the urgency to implement it.
Pharmacy may never be the flashiest part of healthcare reform. But it is among the most powerful. Because when pharmacy works—really works—it signals a system that’s working. One that values the patient’s time. One that operates with intention. One that delivers on its promise.
And in federal healthcare, where the stakes are higher and the trust more fragile, that kind of leadership is not a luxury. It’s a responsibility.
To learn how ACF Technologies can help modernize your pharmacy, contact us or, if you are ready to see our solutions in action, schedule a demo.
