A Call to Action: Leveraging Pharmacists to Advance Connecticut’s Rural Health Transformation Program
January 2026
A Policy Brief prepared by UConn School of Pharmacy, Connecticut Pharmacists Association (CPA), Connecticut Community Pharmacy Enhanced Services Network (CPESN), UConn Health Pharmacy Department, Yale New Haven Pharmacy Department
CONTACTS:
Marie Smith, Assistant Dean, UConn School of Pharmacy, marie.smith@uconn.edu
Nathan Tinker, Connecticut Pharmacists Association, ntinker@ctpharmacists.org
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Connecticut’s Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program presents a timely and high-impact opportunity to strengthen care delivery, address workforce shortages, and improve population health outcomes in rural and medically underserved communities. To fully realize these goals, pharmacists must be intentionally integrated into RHT care models, payment structures, and data infrastructure as essential members of interdisciplinary healthcare teams.
Pharmacists are among the most accessible and highly trained healthcare professionals in rural communities, with statutory authority since 2019 to engage in collaborative medication management with physicians and advanced practice registered nurses. Yet, despite demonstrated clinical and cost effectiveness, pharmacists remain underutilized in primary care and population health settings due largely to the absence of sustainable payment mechanisms—particularly within Medicaid. As of late 2025, Connecticut remains one of only six states without a Medicaid pharmacist payment model, even as nearly 40 states reimburse pharmacists for medication optimization and chronic disease management services.
Evidence from Connecticut and national programs demonstrate that pharmacist-integrated care models improve outcomes in high-priority chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and behavioral health disorders—conditions that disproportionately burden rural populations. Connecticut-based pilots have shown improved blood pressure and A1c control, reductions in hospital and emergency department utilization, and a return on investment of approximately 3:1 through reduced total cost of care. Embedded pharmacists also directly address primary care capacity constraints by saving hundreds of physician hours annually and expanding patient access.
This brief outlines how pharmacists can be strategically incorporated into the four core RHT initiatives—Population Health, Workforce Development, Data and Technology, and Care Transformation and Sustainability—through scalable models including embedded primary care pharmacists, community-based pharmacists with remote monitoring capabilities, and pharmacist e-consult networks. It also highlights Connecticut’ s existing infrastructure, including academic expertise, residency training programs, community pharmacy networks, and prior CMS-funded transformation experience, which positions the state for rapid and effective implementation.
We urge the Connecticut Department of Social Services to explicitly include pharmacist services and payment pathways within RHT program design, leveraging existing federal guidance that allows pharmacists to enroll as Medicaid providers under the Other Licensed Practitioner benefit. Doing so will strengthen team-based care, improve rural health outcomes, enhance workforce resilience, and ensure that Connecticut RHT investments deliver measurable, sustainable value.
Controlled Substance/Opioid Prescription Warning Labels
As of January 1, 2024, Connecticut state law requires that all controlled substance and opioid prescriptions have a fluorescent warning label attached. Click here to see the regulations, policies and procedures.
Regulation-compliant labels are now available for pre-order from CPA.
- High quality label and adhesive
- 1 1/4 inch diameter as required
- Fluorescent orange as required
- Font and exclamation point symbol as required
Available in rolls of 1,000 labels.
PRICING
- $18 per roll
- CPA Member (members must log in to get the member rate): $15 per roll
The Connecticut Pharmacists Foundation, funds various scholarships and awards established for students pursuing careers in the field of pharmacy. Six scholarships of $1,000 each are awarded annually by the Connecticut Pharmacists Association and presented at the CPA Annual Awards and Scholarships Banquet. Find out how you can support the CPF.
