Last week, the USC-NCPA Pharmacy Access Initiative met with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services staff to discuss updates to the Pharmacy Shortage Areas Mapping Tool. Most recent data from the tool shows that one in eight neighborhoods meet criteria to be pharmacy shortage areas, or pharmacy deserts. This meeting also opened discussions around the Essential Retail Pharmacy designation established in February's Continuing Resolution.
The tool was launched as open access in November 2025 and is available at pharmacydeserts.com for years 2010-2024.
NCPA
