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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — For the second time during the past week, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores has engaged with a congressional committee to highlight community pharmacy’s value to the nation’s health care system.
NACDS said it submitted a statement to the Senate Committee on Finance for its hearing on Wednesday titled "Progress in Health Care Delivery: Innovations from the Field."
"Community retail pharmacies are at the front line in the health care system, interacting with patients on a daily basis," NACDS said in its comments to the committee. "Community pharmacists are uniquely qualified through their comprehensive education and training to significantly reduce the problem of poor medication adherence."
The association noted to lawmakers that community pharmacists interact with patients to improve their health and help them lower their medicals costs via medication counseling services such as medication therapy management (MTM), administering vaccinations in the Medicare Part D program and increasing the use of lower-cost generic drugs.
"When patients adhere to their medication therapy, it will reduce costs from higher-cost medical care, such as emergency room visits and catastrophic care," NACDS pointed out to the committee.
Reinforcing the importance of community pharmacy care in in its statement to the committee, NACDS said, "NACDS thanks the committee for allowing us to share our comments on the role of community pharmacies in improving patient care and reducing healthcare costs through health care delivery system reform."
A week ago NACDS urged the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to look to community pharmacy as a key partner in the health care delivery system.
