The following is the complete statement provided to The New York Times on January 15, 2020:
Regarding The New York Times’ reporting, NACDS calls attention to the statements provided by member companies. These statements are backed by pharmacies’ strong attention, dedication and expertise on patient safety and patient care.
Patient safety and health are the top priorities for pharmacies. Pharmacies exist as a result of the trust that patients place in them. Pharmacies rely on, and appreciate, the respected professionalism and dedication of the pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who earn that trust every day.
Please see our information about pharmacy’s firm commitment to, and continuous pursuit of, prescription accuracy.
While filling prescriptions accurately and helping patients take them correctly and safely, pharmacists also provide to patients other health and wellness services that they need and desire, in a highly accessible setting that is committed to quality. NACDS is compelled to emphasize two key points that relate to public policy barriers to pharmacy care that are specific to The New York Times’ reporting, and which stand among many other barriers that need to be addressed.
We hope this reporting shows the ironies and contradictions that prevent pharmacy technicians from performing more tasks, and from allowing pharmacists more time to provide patients the services that their education empowers. Some who are claiming that pharmacies are not making full use of pharmacy technicians are the same parties who are blocking public policy enhancements to the number of pharmacy technicians that pharmacies are allowed to employ, and the array of tasks that pharmacy technicians are allowed to perform. To help overcome unnecessary public policy barriers, NACDS has conducted extensive research about the positive effects of optimizing care, or alignment of pharmacist and pharmacy technician resources. In addition, NACDS advocates for a comprehensive approach to addressing countless other barriers to the more complete and efficient delivery of pharmacy patient care.
We also hope that this reporting will serve as a reminder of the need for consistent and appropriate metrics by which pharmacies are evaluated by some public and private payers. NACDS advocates for standardized pharmacy performance metrics, and this a vital aspect of NACDS’ work to achieve direct and indirect remuneration (DIR) fee reform and integration of pharmacy into value-based payment models. Particularly with the move to value-based care, metrics are part of the new normal; however, reforms in the way they are applied to pharmacies will benefit pharmacists and patients alike. Use of standardized pharmacy performance metrics by payers will help ensure that everyone is moving in the same direction toward greater healthcare quality.
