Phipps Pharmacy Named 2024 Advocacy Champion

JACKSON (July 30) — Good Neighbor Pharmacy, a national independent pharmacy network and a part of Cencora, a global healthcare company, announced Phipps Pharmacy as the 2024 Advocacy Champion.

Part of Good Neighbor Pharmacy’s Champion Awards, the Advocacy Champion Award was recently presented during ThoughtSpot 2024, Good Neighbor Pharmacy’s annual conference and tradeshow.

As Advocacy Champion, Phipps Pharmacy has been recognized among more than 5,000 independent pharmacies in the Good Neighbor Pharmacy network for its unwavering dedication to advocating at the local, state and federal levels in support of independent pharmacies and pharmacists across the United States.

“Our entire team here at Phipps Pharmacy is incredibly honored to be recognized as Good Neighbor Pharmacy’s 2024 Advocacy Champion,” said Dr. Jay Phipps, pharmacist, president and CEO of Phipps Pharmacy. “Our patients deserve both the high-quality patient care of pharmacists practicing at the top of our license and access to the care provided by independent pharmacists. The expertise and knowledge we provide to patients should not stay siloed; instead, it should fuel a constant correspondence with legislators. I’m grateful that our Tennessee elected officials work with us to help care for our communities, and we’ve made great strides together. It is paramount that we remain relentless in advocating for the profession of pharmacy, and I look forward to continued collaboration to propel independent pharmacies further into the future.”

“Phipps Pharmacy has exemplified outstanding excellence in advocating for the expanded ability to meet the unique healthcare needs of the communities it serves across Tennessee. Pharmacies are facing different legislative and regulatory constraints on a state-by-state level – but fortunately, there are pharmacies like Phipps,” said Jenni Zilka, President of Good Neighbor Pharmacy.

“As we extend our heartfelt congratulations to our 2024 Advocacy Champion, we also express our sincere gratitude to our member pharmacies nationwide for their remarkable contributions to their communities, including their tireless advocacy for fair reimbursement, to expand clinical care services and redefine pharmacies as accessible destinations for high-quality care.”

In recent years, Tennessee has taken legislative steps to support pharmacies’ growing and critical role in the U.S. healthcare system. In 2022, TN Chapter 1070 paved the way for pharmacies to be reimbursed by PBMs for no less than the actual cost of the prescription drug or device dispensed, as well as the establishment of the TennCare dispensing fee for low-volume pharmacies and stronger patient access policies. In 2024, Governor Lee signed into law TN Chapter 824, which safeguards patient access by granting pharmacists prescribing rights for the treatment of various medication classes and disease states, thereby expanding Tennesseans’ options in terms of where they can receive vital healthcare services.