admin, Author at NACDS

Make Your Voice Heard—Virtually—in D.C. on March 13

admin2017-03-10T17:22:42-05:00Categories: Article|Tags: Provider_Status, RxIMPACT|

NACDS is welcoming more than 400 advocates, representing 47 states, to Washington, D.C., to participate in the 9th annual NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill March 14-15. Can’t make it to D.C.? No problem. You can still urge Congress to recognize the value of pharmacy by participating in NACDS RxIMPACT’s biggest letter-writing campaign ever to promote provider status legislation (H.R. 592/ S.109).

Just because you can’t be in D.C. in person doesn’t mean you can’t still be with pharmacy advocates urging Congress to recognize the value of pharmacy. As Congress considers reforming the Affordable Care Act (ACA), pharmacy services in Medicaid and Medicare should be protected to ensure beneficiary access to quality and lower-cost care. Community pharmacy can play a key role in ensuring the success of efforts to reform these programs in helping guarantee access to affordable, high-quality care. Enhancing access to patient care in communities, through measures like provider status, could be especially beneficial, particularly for patients with chronic conditions.

Advocates are already excited to sign on and spread the word. Dave Rueter of Thrifty White responded to the email alert to participate. He wrote, “Thanks for making this so easy. I will send this out to our store teams on Monday morning [March 13] and encourage them to participate.” Larry Wagenknecht, chief executive officer of the Michigan Pharmacists Association, wrote, “I’m sorry that I am not physically able to be there this year, but we have several members (including a couple of really excited students) that we know are going to be there. We will be doing our part back here in Michigan!”

It’s still possible to make a difference back in your own state. Visit the NACDS RxIMPACT website, and by typing in your name and address only once, you will send a personalized letter to your elected lawmakers in Washington. Recently, NACDS RxIMPACT mobilized advocates to send nearly 5,000 letters to promote provider status legislation.

Note: To date, eleven NACDS member companies have already indicated they are at the ready to distribute the NACDS RxIMPACT Action Alert on March 13: Ahold USA, Brookshire Brothers, Inc. Brookshire Grocery Co., Discount Drug Mart, Inc., H-E-B, [ READ MORE ]

NACDS Advertisements Magnify “Access Agenda” NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill positions pharmacy as accessible go-to for solutions in public policy, health and wellness

admin2017-03-10T15:19:53-05:00Categories: Press Release|Tags: Congress, Pharmacy_Value, Provider_Status, Public_Relations, Reimbursement, RxIMPACT|

Arlington, Va. – As more than 400 pharmacy advocates from 47 states meet with more than 90 percent of the U.S. Congress next week, a Washington, D.C. advertising initiative will help to tell their story. The ads state: “Pharmacists provide access to better healthcare every day,” and “we’re here to provide access to health policy solutions.”

The grassroots advocacy event is the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill – now in its ninth year. Print and digital advertising will draw focus to the personalized stories of participating NACDS member company representatives, student pharmacists, state pharmacy association representatives and other allies.

“NACDS will bring our ‘Access Agenda’ to Capitol Hill with the personal insights and experiences of pharmacy team members who serve as the face of neighborhood healthcare,” said NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE. “The ads emphasize the point that pharmacy is a go-to source for public policy solutions, just as pharmacy is a go-to source for accessible, quality and affordable health and wellness services.”

“NACDS is setting the tone for even higher levels of collaboration that we are seeking with other segments of the healthcare delivery system, with policymakers and with thought leaders.”

The ads refer viewers to a microsite summarizing policy positions that advocates will take to members of Congress. Among them, NACDS is urging a commitment to the cost-effective prescription drug benefit in Medicaid and in Medicare amid the current discussions of potential changes to the Affordable Care Act. NACDS also is urging enactment of the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act (H.R. 592 and S. 109), to improve healthcare access for medically underserved Medicare patients.

“NACDS is drawing attention to pharmacy’s role in a positive and proactive public dialogue about healthcare issues. For example, in addition to our meetings on Capitol Hill, the NACDS RxIMPACT program welcomes members of Congress for pharmacy tours and other in-district and in-state events, which are incredibly helpful for demonstrating real-life healthcare issues in real-life settings,” Anderson explained.

“NACDS is setting the tone for even higher levels of collaboration that we are seeking with other segments of the healthcare delivery system, with policymakers [ READ MORE ]

More Conviction than Ire, Town Hall Crowd Expresses Healthcare Concerns

admin2017-03-03T11:11:01-05:00Categories: Photo|Tags: Pharmacy_Value, RxIMPACT|

A standing-room-only NACDS RxIMPACT-inspired congressional town hall, with House Ways & Means Health Subcommittee Member Rep. Mike Thompson (D) in Santa Rosa, Ca., was filled with engaged—and notably non-confrontational—voters.

NACDS RxIMPACT participation at congressional town halls continues to get positive feedback, despite some ongoing reports of voter ire and dissatisfaction at the events reported widely in the news. Ann Carpico, of Albertsons Companies, attended a standing-room only event in Santa Rosa, Ca., with House Ways & Means Health Subcommittee Member Rep. Mike Thompson (D) late last week. Carpico said that like other town halls across the country, this one boasted an overflow crowd of 1,500 people congregated in high school gymnasium filled—literally—to the rafters. Carpico noted that there was no protesting, or “rowdy crowds,” but rather a “very engaged community” who had lots of concerns about affordability and patient access in Medicare and Medicaid. Demonstrating commitment and determination, some participants had to park more than a half a mile away to attend the event.

Fortified with a clear set of legislative “asks” from NACDS RxIMPACT, Carpico had a chance to speak directly with Rep. Thompson at the town hall and was able to have a more in-depth discussion on provider status legislation—H.R. 592, the Pharmacy & Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act—with the congressman’s wife, a nurse, who expressed support for pharmacists as providers in the healthcare system.

Carpico noted that since there were so many people at the event they could not call on people individually for questions, but participants who were district constituents, as Carpico is, were able to fill out a card and submit it for a promised response from the lawmaker by email.

Carpico quantified pharmacy’s presence in the lawmaker’s district, letting him know there are 80 chain pharmacies operating there. She asked for his renewed support for H.R. 592, the Pharmacy & Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act, to improve access to pharmacist services. In addition she requested that as Congress considers changes to the Medicaid program in light of reforms to the Affordable Care Act, that it protect beneficiary access to pharmacy services as a cost-effective approach to Medicaid reform that provides high [ READ MORE ]

New Upcoming Pharmacogenomics Training—April 27-28 in Irvine, Ca.

admin2017-03-03T11:06:27-05:00Categories: Article|Tags: Medications, Pharmacy_Value|

Don’t miss a new opportunity to participate in an innovative education program that trains pharmacists to improve patient outcomes through a more personalized and tailored approach to medicine. Chapman University’s School of Pharmacy, in partnership with NACDS and the University of Pittsburgh, is hosting a Pharmacogenomics Certificate Program on April 27-28, in Irvine, Ca.

The certificate program is designed to enhance pharmacist skills to help to ensure that the right patient is getting the right medicine at the right dose using genetic test results.

Don’t wait, because there is no guarantee that participants will be able to use their personal genetic information during this training if their testing kit is processed after the Wednesday, March 15 deadline. The fee is $295, which includes the cost of optional genetic testing, lunch the first day and breakfast on the second day.

Pharmacogenomics—an emerging field of study that combines pharmacology and genomics—aims to ensure that medications are used in a safe and effective manner based on a person’s genetic makeup. The certificate program is designed to enhance pharmacist skills to help to ensure that the right patient is getting the right medicine at the right dose using genetic test results.

The certificate program is comprised of online home study modules and in-person live components, including an optional activity for learners to undergo personal genomic testing. The online home-study and the first day of live program equals 20 credit hours of pharmacogenomics educational content and is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a Practice-based Continuing Pharmacy Education activity. In addition to the in-person aspect of the program, pharmacist participants will also learn how to administer the training to others during the “train-the-trainer” component of the course on the second day.

Register for the Chapman University’s School of Pharmacy program by March 15 to be sure you can use your personal genomic information! In addition, there is still time to register for the program at Duke University on April 10-11 in Durham, N.C. Register for the opportunity as soon as possible in order to increase the likelihood that genetic testing [ READ MORE ]

Timely Webinar Highlights Vaccination Recommendations

admin2017-03-03T11:03:10-05:00Categories: Article|Tags: Vaccinations|

Recent news reports on vaccinations underscore the timeliness of a webinar NACDS and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) hosted this week outlining the latest Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations for adult, childhood and teen immunizations.

Initially accredited for physicians by NFID, the webinar was made available to pharmacists as a result of the partnership with NACDS.

The Washington Post reported last week that federal health officials are evaluating the benefit of an additional dose of the mumps vaccine because of the increasing number of mumps outbreaks since 2006. More than 5,000 cases of the contagious viral illness were reported last year in the United States, the most in a decade. That topic was among many of the recent vaccination storylines that were covered in the comprehensive webinar.

The webinar summarized the immunization recommendations presented at ACIP’s meeting February 22-23. Initially accredited for physicians by NFID, the webinar was made available to pharmacists as a result of the partnership with NACDS. The webinar covered the most recent ACIP recommendations for adult and childhood/adolescent immunizations, how recent changes to vaccine recommendations will impact immunization programs, and information on new and future vaccines for potential use in practice.

Following the live webinar, pharmacists seeking to claim CE credit should visit the NACDS Learner Community website. The webinar will available on the NACDS and NFID web portals as enduring education.

NACDS Stands with “Americans for Affordable Products” in Warning Against Border Adjustment Tax Coalition’s letter to Congress blasts “massive tax increase on consumers”

admin2017-02-28T12:29:35-05:00Categories: Press Release|Tags: Congress, Retail|

Arlington, VA – The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) has joined with more than 200 members of the Americans for Affordable Products coalition in laying out a strong case to Congress against the perils of the Border Adjustment Tax.

From a health and wellness perspective; from a total-store perspective; from a consumer perspective; from an employee perspective; and from an employer perspective the Border Adjustment Tax would prove devastating and it should be considered a non-starter in the public policy arena.

In a letter to the bipartisan Congressional leadership, the coalition – including NACDS – wrote: “The goal of tax reform should be to lower effective tax rates for businesses of all sizes and ensure Americans benefit with more money in their wallet. We believe the Border Adjustment Tax would do the exact opposite by raising effective tax rates for many companies to well over 100%.

“The Border Adjustment Tax is not simple or fair. It proposes a massive tax increase on consumers and would result in increased costs on everyday necessities like food, clothing, gasoline and prescription drugs – necessities that Americans rely on daily – by as much as $1,700. It is really a ‘cost of living tax’ that will make the lives of millions of middle-class Americans harder and more expensive.”

Companies and associations that are members of Americans for Affordable Products speak for nearly one out of every four jobs in the nation.

“The Border Adjustment Tax would take the term ‘unintended consequences’ and redefine it for the ages,” said NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE. “From a health and wellness perspective; from a total-store perspective; from a consumer perspective; from an employee perspective; and from an employer perspective the Border Adjustment Tax would prove devastating and it should be considered a non-starter in the public policy arena.”

For its part, NACDS supports the “Made in the U.S.A.” movement, as demonstrated by the success of programs to call attention to qualifying products at the NACDS Total Store Expo trade show and strategic exchange.

More information about Americans for Affordable Products is available at KeepAmericaAffordable.com.

The Positive Power of Congressional Town Halls

admin2017-02-23T17:52:24-05:00Categories: Photo|Tags: Provider_Status, RxIMPACT|

The Bartell Drug Co. participated in one of ten NACDS RxIMPACT-supported congressional town hall meetings this week with Rep. Derek Kilmer (left) in Tacoma, Wash.

Rite Aid Corporation’s Lou Ann Obernesser participated in a town hall with House Energy & Commerce Committee member Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) in Schenectady, N.Y., on Monday. She said the event was so well attended they had to break out overflow rooms to accommodate people. She spoke directly with Rep. Tonko and told him she lives and works in his district. She asked for his renewed support for provider status legislation—H.R. 592, The Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act—which would enhance access to care for underserved Americans. Obernesser said the congressman was “very familiar” with the legislation. Obernessor used district-specific information provided by NACDS RxIMPACT to quantify the role the 141 community pharmacies in the congressman’s district play in providing healthcare to his constituents.

The Bartell Drug Co.’s Daiana Huyen attended in a town hall with Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) in Tacoma, Wash., on Tuesday. She said, “It was definitely a successful event for the district—there were about over 300 people attending.” She noted it was a very diverse group, comprised of seniors, students, immigrants and local business owners who addressed a range of topics including the Affordable Care Act, immigration and education. Huyen spoke to Rep. Kilmer one-on-one after the meeting, gave him her business card, and followed up with an email to him with her specific legislative priority “asks,” which NACDS RxIMPACT provides to members who are participating in in-district activities like town halls, pharmacy tours, and more.

Don’t miss your chance to connect with legislators at the upcoming NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill, March 14-15. At last year’s event, participants met with 90 percent of congressional offices. Register today! You can make a difference—at home and on Capitol Hill.

NACDS, NFID Webinar to Focus on Latest Guidance on Adult, Childhood, and Teen Vaccinations The March 1 webinar will be available on the NACDS Learner Community site for continuing education credit

admin2017-02-23T14:36:43-05:00Categories: Press Release|Tags: Preparedness, Vaccinations|

Arlington, Va. – The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) is collaborating with the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) on a webinar outlining the latest Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations for adult, childhood, and teen immunizations. ACIP provides recommendations and guidance to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the use of vaccines for effective control of vaccine-preventable diseases in the US. The live webinar will be held March 1, from 12:00-1:00 p.m. EST. The webinar is free of charge; however registration is necessary to participate.

NFID welcomes the opportunity to partner once again with NACDS on this vital shared commitment to advancing preventive care through immunizations. Working together with immunization stakeholders effectively advances efforts to improve patient care and overall health outcomes.

The immunization recommendations to be discussed on the webinar were presented at ACIP’s meeting February 22-23, 2017. It will summarize highlights from the event, which will be beneficial for those who were unable to attend. Initially accredited for physicians by NFID, the webinar will be available to pharmacists as a result of the partnership with NACDS.

One hour of CE credit will be available for this program, which is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). Following the live webinar, pharmacists seeking to claim CE credit should visit the NACDS Learner Community website. The webinar will available on the NACDS and NFID web portals as enduring education.

After the webinar, participants will be able to describe the most recent ACIP recommendations for adult and childhood/adolescent immunizations, explain how recent changes to vaccine recommendations will impact immunization programs, and discuss information on new and future vaccines for potential use in practice.

“NACDS is delighted to once again partner with NFID on promoting the public health benefits of vaccinations. Pharmacists are playing an increasingly important role in healthcare delivery, including vaccinating the public against seasonal influenza and other vaccine-preventable diseases,” said NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE. “Together, we can make great strides in reducing preventable illnesses and ensuring healthier communities.”

“NFID welcomes the opportunity to partner [ READ MORE ]

Don’t Miss a Cutting Edge Pharmacogenomics Program—Register by Feb. 27! Location: Duke University

admin2017-02-23T14:05:48-05:00Categories: Article|Tags: Medications, Pharmacy_Value|

Don’t miss an opportunity to participate in an innovative education program that trains pharmacists to improve patient outcomes through a more personalized and tailored approach to medicine. Duke University, in partnership with NACDS and the University of Pittsburgh, is hosting a Pharmacogenomics Certificate Program on April 10-11, 2017, in Durham, N.C.

Pharmacogenomics—an emerging field of study that combines pharmacology and genomics—aims to ensure that medications are used in a safe and effective manner based on a person’s genetic makeup.

Don’t wait, because there is no guarantee that participants will be able to use their personal genetic information during this training if their testing kit is processed after the Monday, February 27 deadline. The fee is $295, which includes the cost of optional genetic testing, lunch the first day and breakfast on the second day.

Pharmacogenomics—an emerging field of study that combines pharmacology and genomics—aims to ensure that medications are used in a safe and effective manner based on a person’s genetic makeup. The certificate program is designed to enhance pharmacist skills to help to ensure that the right patient is getting the right medicine at the right dose using genetic test results.

The certificate program is comprised of online home study modules and in-person live components, including an optional activity for learners to undergo personal genomic testing. The online home-study and the first day of live program equals 20 credit hours of pharmacogenomics educational content and is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a Practice-based Continuing Pharmacy Education activity. In addition to the in-person aspect of the program, pharmacist participants will also learn how to administer the training to others during the “train-the-trainer” component of the course on the second day.

Register by February 27 to be sure you can use your personal genomic information!

Congressional Letter This Week States: “Vaccines Save Lives”

admin2017-02-22T16:12:04-05:00Categories: Article|Tags: Pharmacy_Value, Vaccinations|

In a letter to their congressional colleagues this week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers highlighted the importance of immunizations which protect Americans—especially infants and children—against preventable serious and deadly diseases.

Vaccines are our front line of defense against infectious diseases, many of which have no treatment or can be life-threatening.

The representatives were clear in their central message: “Vaccines save lives.” The lawmakers pointed to the success of vaccinations in eliminating certain diseases in the U.S., including polio and measles. They noted that despite the effectiveness of vaccinations, there have already been reports this year of outbreaks of measles, mumps and whooping cough around the country, which presents a public health threat.

The letter was written by Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman Lamar Alexander, (R-TN), ranking member Patty Murray (D-WA), House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR), ranking member Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), Health Subcommittee Chairman Michael Burgess (R-TX), and ranking member Gene Green, D-Texas.

The lawmakers wrote, “Vaccines are our front line of defense against infectious diseases, many of which have no treatment or can be life-threatening.” They said that with medical advancements “it is critical to recognize the importance of protecting public health against vaccine-preventable diseases.”

All 50 states in the U.S. now allow pharmacist-administered vaccinations and NACDS continues to advocate for expanded access to pharmacist-administered adolescent vaccinations. The ongoing effectiveness of vaccination—highlighted so effectively this week in the congressional letter—underscores the vital role pharmacy plays in improving patient health and outcomes with preventive, evidence-based approaches.

National Association of Chain Drug StoresPharmacies. The face of neighborhood healthcare.

About admin