House hearing spotlights pharmacist services bill

WASHINGTON – Legislation to expand Medicare coverage of certain pharmacist-provided services took center stage this week at a House Energy and Commerce Committee Health Subcommittee hearing.

The hearing, “Examining Legislative Proposals to Reform Medicare Provider Payment and Bolster Health Care Cybersecurity,” considered H.R. 3164, the Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act, also known as the Main Street Pharmacy Access Act.

The legislation would establish Medicare Part B coverage for certain pharmacist-provided services for common respiratory conditions, consistent with state scope-of-practice laws.

The hearing follows action in May by the House Ways and Means Committee, which marked up and passed H.R. 3164. The National Association of Chain Drug Stores has advocated for the legislation and its Senate companion, S. 2426, in coordination with member companies and other members of the Future of Pharmacy Care Coalition.

Health Subcommittee Chairman Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) voiced support for the legislation during his opening statement.

“Another bill before us is the Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act, or ECAPS, led by Representative Smith of Nebraska and Representative Schneider of Illinois.

“This legislation would expand Medicare coverage for certain pharmacist services, such as pharmacist-provided testing.

“Community pharmacists are often among the most accessible providers in rural areas, which makes this legislation important for communities such as my district where many patients consider the pharmacy a critical point of care,” Griffith said.

The witness panel included Anthony Pudlo, PharmD, MBA, MS, chief executive officer of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association. Drawing on his experience as a practicing pharmacist, Pudlo told lawmakers that pharmacists already serve as key points of care in their communities.

“Throughout my career as a practicing pharmacist, I cared for patients managing diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, respiratory illnesses, depression, and multiple chronic conditions. I spent countless hours helping patients understand complex medication regimens, navigate barriers to treatment, and manage conditions that, if left unaddressed, often lead to expensive hospitalizations and poorer health outcomes. In many cases, pharmacists were the most accessible health care professionals available to those patients.

“My experiences have consistently reinforced a simple reality: the issue before us is not whether pharmacists are capable of doing more. The issue is whether unnecessary barriers will continue to prevent communities from utilizing an available, highly trained health care resource when and where patients need it most.

“ECAPS helps close this gap by covering pharmacist-provided patient care services under Medicare Part B for common respiratory conditions aligned with state scope of practice as members of patient care teams and allowing Medicare beneficiaries to access these services closer to home,” Pudlo said.

Before the hearing, NACDS sent a letter to Health Subcommittee leadership urging consideration of H.R. 3164. NACDS president and CEO Steven C. Anderson said the legislation would improve Medicare beneficiaries’ access to services already authorized under state law.

“Pharmacists are highly trusted and educated healthcare professionals, and the unique scale of the nation’s pharmacies allows them to reach seniors across rural and urban communities, vulnerable populations, and beyond. Pharmacists and pharmacies fulfill a highly appropriate and necessary role as integral components of the healthcare ecosystem.

“Importantly, this legislation does not expand pharmacists' scope of practice, nor does it overstep into state decision-making. H.R. 3164 would make available to seniors in Medicare specific pharmacist-provided services that other Americans already can access. H.R. 3164 establishes a Medicare payment mechanism for specific respiratory services in states that have authorized pharmacists to perform them,” Anderson wrote.

NACDS said 38 members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee support H.R. 3164. The association has made the legislation a focus of its advocacy this year, including during NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill in March and during meetings between its Policy Council and lawmakers in July.