Enjoyed participating in the live virtual roundtable discussion for pharmacists on improving team-based obesity care sponsored by Pharmacy Times Continuing Education that attracted 1300 pharmacists from around the country.
As the therapeutic pipeline expands with advanced obesity medications, patients and healthcare professionals alike need better guidance, easier access, and expert support to succeed.
During the session, our panel tackled some of the most pressing challenges in contemporary practice:
Overcoming Barriers: Best practices for initiating and maintaining use of obesity medications when so many barriers exist.
Expanding Team Roles: Why clinical pharmacists are important partners in comprehensive weight management teams.
- Cultivating Empathy: Why every member of the care team must adopt proactive strategies to identify and eliminate weight bias and stigma.
The discussion yielded critical insights for providers looking to optimize patient outcomes:
1-Meet the Newest Member of the Obesity Care Team
Pharmacists are uniquely positioned on the healthcare frontlines.
Because they frequently interact with patients between physician visits, they serve as trusted educators, adherence monitors, and vital touchpoints for continuous care.
Integrating pharmacists directly into the treatment workflow ensures that lifestyle interventions and pharmacotherapy are seamlessly coordinated.
2-Understand Core Responsibilities of the Clinical Pharmacist
- Navigating Access and Approvals: Streamlining the complex prior authorization process to help patients secure insurance coverage and timely medication access.
- Managing Titration Protocols: Guiding careful dose initiation and slow escalation schedules to maximize therapeutic efficacy while minimizing adverse events.
- Educating the Care Team: Providing real-time updates on side effect management, drug interactions, and new drug trial data to physicians, advanced practice providers, and registered dietitian nutritionists.
3-Helping to Navigate the Bridge Program
Started on July 1, 2026, the Bridge program provides access to specified obesity medications for Medicare beneficiaries for the first time.
Pharmacists can be instrumental in helping to navigate through the system for eligibility and approval.
To qualify for weight management, eligible patients must be 18 years of age or older and have a:
- BMI of ≥35 with no listed comorbidities, or
- BMI ≥30 with heart failure, uncontrolled hypertension or chronic kidney disease, or
- BMI ≥27 with prediabetes, prior heart attack or stroke, or symptomatic peripheral artery disease
Team-based care isn’t just a strategy—it’s the standard for compassionate, effective patient-centered weight management care.
RK
Robert Kushner, MD