NACDS expressed support for, and provided further input, on CMS’ proposed rule, which involves issues including direct and indirect remuneration fees; e-prescribing; medication therapy management; opioid abuse; and fostering pharmacy access.
E-prescribing, opioid issues, medication therapy management, pharmacy access addressed by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
NACDS print ads, and Coalition radio and digital ads, are running in selected Congressional Districts this August to tout the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act.
NACDS strongly supports a Senate letter sent to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma on the use of direct and indirect remuneration (DIR) fees.
NACDS-backed bipartisan provider status legislation—H.R. 592—got a boost from the Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) recently in a letter to Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) stating that the bill could streamline the healthcare system, improve access to care for patients and result in billions of dollars in savings.
NACDS welcomed members of the NACDS Board of Directors for a two-day Washington fly-in this week as an increasingly intense debate on healthcare continues to reverberate on the Hill and across the country.
Arlington, VA – In a column published in today’s print and online editions of The Hill, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) positioned pharmacy patient care and collaboration across healthcare segments as vital to improving health and wellness nationwide.
The column reflects NACDS’ “Access Agenda” – which reflects pharmacy’s collaborative approach to patient care and to public policy development.
NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE cited as a healthcare-delivery success the broad-based recognition of pharmacy’s vital role in providing vaccines – an evolution that gained momentum following the flu pandemic of 2009. He also noted the strong bipartisan support for the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act (H.R. 592 and S. 109) – legislation that would enhance underserved Medicare patients’ access to state-approved, pharmacist-provided services.
In addition to urging proactive measures, he also noted the importance of doing no harm to pharmacy patient care, urging Congress to preserve pharmacy benefits and pharmacy services in Medicare and Medicaid amid any reviews of current programs.
“In healthcare delivery, as in healthcare policymaking, there is no panacea. However, lessons learned over the past decade – including those related to pharmacists’ enhanced vaccination authority – suggest that seeking improved access for patients through highly educated, trusted and accessible professionals like pharmacists can yield bipartisan accomplishments amid times of need,” Anderson wrote.
“In this way, similar and additional initiatives – fueled by collaboration among various segments of healthcare delivery and by leaders in government – could notch progress toward remedies for patients, as well as for the policymaking and political arenas alike.”
More information about NACDS’ Access Agenda can be found at AccessAgenda.NACDS.org.
Arlington, Va. – The Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act (H.R. 592) was reintroduced on Friday, January 20, with the bipartisan original co-sponsorship of nearly one-quarter of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Senate bill (S. 109) was re-introduced on January 12. The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) strongly backs the legislation.
Pharmacists remain among the most highly trusted professionals. That, combined with their extensive education and accessibility, create tremendous opportunities for patient care.
“NACDS thanks for their leadership Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY) and Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) – the lead sponsors of the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act in the House,” said NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE. “NACDS appreciates all of the 108 Representatives who have signed onto the legislation as original cosponsors. The work already is underway to build on the momentum that was started in the last Congress, to accelerate the campaign to enhance the quality, accessibility and affordability of patient care through pharmacist-provided services.
“NACDS members operate pharmacies in each and every Congressional District, and we look forward to telling their story as the face of neighborhood healthcare. Pharmacy’s story resonates in communities throughout the nation, where pharmacists are relied on heavily and can be leveraged even more for the benefit of Medicare patients.”
The bill would allow underserved Medicare patients to receive certain services from pharmacists, in states in which pharmacists already are permitted to administer the functions. Examples of these services include immunizations; helping seniors manage chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart conditions and asthma; conducting wellness or prevention testing; and helping seniors take their medications correctly and as prescribed. Nurse practitioners and physicians’ assistants currently can provide these services through Medicare.
“Pharmacists remain among the most highly trusted professionals. That, combined with their extensive education and accessibility, create tremendous opportunities for patient care,” Anderson said.
To sit for pharmacy Board licensure exams, candidates must have a Doctor of Pharmacy degree (PharmD), which requires a minimum of six years of professional education. Highly-educated pharmacists are tremendously accessible, with most Americans – 91 percent – living within five miles of a community pharmacy. [ READ MORE ]
Arlington, Va. – The Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act (S. 109) was reintroduced today with the bipartisan original co-sponsorship of more than one-quarter of the U.S. Senate. The return of the legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives also is anticipated shortly. The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) strongly backs the legislation.
We want today’s bill re-introduction to serve as an acceleration, and not just a continuation, of the campaign to enhance the quality, accessibility and affordability of patient care through pharmacist-provided services.
“NACDS truly appreciates the leadership of Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) in re-introducing the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act as lead sponsors,” said NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE. “NACDS thanks all of the 27 Senators who have made a powerful statement about this legislation by signing on as original cosponsors and sustaining this bill’s momentum from the 114th Congress into the current 115th Congress.
“We consider this bill’s swift and strong re-introduction a credit to these leaders in Congress, a credit to pro-patient and pro-pharmacy advocates, and a credit to the powerful story of pharmacies as the face of neighborhood healthcare. We want today’s bill re-introduction to serve as an acceleration, and not just a continuation, of the campaign to enhance the quality, accessibility and affordability of patient care through pharmacist-provided services.”
The bill would allow underserved Medicare patients to receive certain services from pharmacists, in states in which pharmacists already are permitted to administer the functions. Examples of these services include immunizations; helping seniors manage chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart conditions and asthma; conducting wellness or prevention testing; and helping seniors take their medications correctly and as prescribed. Nurse practitioners and physicians’ assistants currently can provide these services through Medicare.
“Pharmacists remain among the most highly trusted professionals. That, combined with their extensive education and accessibility, create tremendous opportunities for patient care,” Anderson said.
To sit for pharmacy Board licensure exams, candidates must have a Doctor of Pharmacy degree (PharmD), which requires a minimum of six years of professional education. Highly-educated pharmacists are tremendously [ READ MORE ]
Washington, D.C. – In a letter to the new power structure in Washington, D.C., the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), and the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA) have detailed steps necessary to leverage pharmacy patient care and prevent higher costs that result from untreated conditions.
The letter highlighted:
“Nearly all Americans (91%) live within five miles of a community pharmacy. As Americans’ most convenient and accessible healthcare provider, we look forward to continuing to work with you to ensure that Medicare and Medicaid patients can continue to receive cost-effective pharmacy services. As the demand for healthcare services continues to grow, pharmacists have expanded their role by collaborating with physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers to meet patients’ needs,” the associations wrote.
While noting the opportunities that exist in newer pharmacist-provided services, the associations emphasized that jeopardizing pharmacy access for medication services threatens health outcomes and healthcare affordability.
The associations explained, “The importance of medication-related services and maintaining access to community pharmacists for the Medicare and Medicaid populations cannot be overstated. Improving medication adherence can help Congress achieve its goals of better managing care for Medicare and [ READ MORE ]
