Pharmacies considering expanded patient care services under Iowa’s standard of care (SOC) framework may find it helpful to ask the following questions during planning and implementation: 

Clinical Readiness

• Are the services we want to offer clearly within our pharmacists’ education, training, and experience? 

• Do pharmacists on staff feel confident assessing patients and making independent clinical decisions for these conditions? 

• What red flags or exclusion criteria will trigger referral to another provider? 

• What additional training may be required to provide expanded services in accordance with your scope of practice? 

Workflow & Operations

• How will patients enter the service (walk-in, referral, self-identification at the counter)? 

• Where will assessments and documentation occur within the existing pharmacy workflow? 

• How will follow-up or continuity of care be handled, if needed? 

Documentation & Accountability

• Does our documentation clearly reflect clinical reasoning, decision-making, and patient counseling? 

• Are we prepared to explain why a service was appropriate under SOC—not just what was done?  

• How does your current pharmacy management software handle clinical documentation or e-prescribing? 

Patient Communication

• How will we explain the pharmacist’s role as a care provider to patients who may be unfamiliar with SOC? 

• Are staff aligned on how to describe these services consistently and confidently? 

Practice Growth

• Should we start with a narrow set of conditions and expand over time? 

• How will we evaluate success—patient outcomes, access, satisfaction, or sustainability? 

These questions can help pharmacies move from regulatory permission to practical, patient-centered implementation.