Erin Fraher, MPH

North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center

Phone: 919.966.5012
Fax: 919.966.5764
E-mail: erin_fraher@unc.edu

Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
725 Airport Road CB 7590
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7590

Completed Projects

Changes in the Supply, Distribution, Workload and Reimbursement Patterns of Pharmacists in Rural Areas, Lead researcher
Research center: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Pharmacy and prescription drugs, Workforce
This study will examine the supply, distribution, workload, and reimbursement patterns of pharmacists in rural areas. The study will also examine pharmacy licensure data in rural vs. urban areas to study trends in pharmacy ownership patterns.

Publications

• Allied Health Job Vacancy Tracking Report
  Author(s): Samir Thaker, Erin Fraher, and Jennifer King
  Research center: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
  Topics: Allied health professionals, Workforce
  Date: 08 / 2006
  Quantifies workforce demand for selected allied health professions in North Carolina, tracks job vacancy advertisements in print and online sources, summarizes vacancy advertisements by profession, region, and employer type, and describes the types of sign-on bonuses offered by employers.
• How Might the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 Affect the Financial Viability of Rural Pharmacies? An Analysis of Pre-Implementation Prescription Volume and Payment Sources in Rural and Urban Areas
  Author(s): Erin P. Fraher, Rebecca T. Slifkin, Laura Smith, Randy Randolph, Matthew Rudolf, George M. Holmes
  Research center: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
  Topics: Health care financing, Health policy, Medicare Part D, Pharmacy and prescription drugs
  Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 21(2), 114-121
  Date: 2005
  Presents descriptive information on mail-order prescriptions, volume, and payer type of retail prescriptions in rural vs. urban areas. Together, these data provide a baseline for evaluating how implementation of the MMA may affect the financial viability of rural independent pharmacies. The authors found that the volume of mail-order prescriptions is small. Rural providers prescribed fewer retail and mail-order prescriptions per person, but more units per person. Rural areas have a higher percentage of prescriptions paid for by cash (18% vs. 13%) and Medicaid (16% vs. 10%) and a lower percentage of third-party payers than urban areas. Significant variation in volume and payer type exists between states. The authors conclude that rural, independent pharmacies may be negatively affected by MMA implementation as business shifts from cash to third-party reimbursement. The high degree of variation between states also has potentially important implications for the implementation of Prescription Drug Plan regions under MMA.