ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores plans to hold its fourth annual NACDS RxImpact Day on Capitol Hill on March 21 and 22 in Washington, D.C.
NACDS said the grassroots event will bring pharmacists, pharmacy leaders, students and other pharmacy advocates to meet with lawmakers and other officials to discuss the value of community pharmacy in improving health outcomes and reducing overall health care costs.
"Just as community pharmacy highlights the value of the patient-pharmacist relationship, there is a high value placed on the interaction of pharmacy advocates engaging with lawmakers," NACDS president and chief executive officer Steve Anderson said in a statement Thursday. "The NACDS RxImpact Day on Capitol Hill is an important opportunity for community pharmacy advocates to engage with lawmakers on pro-patient, pro-pharmacy issues."
Pharmacy advocates will conduct hundreds of individual meetings with members of Congress and their staffs on behalf of community pharmacy. Issues to be addressed include medication therapy management (MTM), fair and accurate pharmacy reimbursement in the Medicaid program, and issues related to pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).
NACDS noted that RxImpact Day will also include insights on the health care and pharmacy landscape in this presidential election year. Mort Kondracke, a Roll Call political columnist and television personality from "The McLaughlin Group" and Fox News Channel, will address attendees during the welcome dinner on March 21.
Also, Sen. Mark Pryor (D., Ark.) will serve as the keynote speaker at the breakfast briefing on March 22. Pryor is the sponsor of the Pharmacy Competition and Consumer Choice Act of 2011 (S. 1058), which NACDS said would preserve pharmacy choice for patients and take additional steps to prevent threats to pharmacy patient care.
"Community pharmacies are located in every congressional district across the country, providing important patient services that help improve health and reduce costs, including medication counseling, vaccinations and health screenings," Anderson stated. "We urge pharmacy advocates to engage on key issues that impact community pharmacy and patient care by participating in the NACDS RxImpact Day on Capitol Hill."
