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Former NACDS Chairman and current Board member Randy Edeker of Hy-Vee, Inc., along with other NACDS Board members, met with Rep. Ron Kind (D, Wis.) at a previous NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill. Kind is a co-chair of the Health Care Innovation Caucus, which was created earlier this year.
ARLINGTON, Va — NACDS recently outlined a compelling case detailing pharmacy’s quantifiable and demonstrated value in a letter to the bipartisan Health Care Innovation Caucus. The Caucus was launched earlier this year to advance a legislative agenda that encourages innovative policy ideas to improve the quality of care and lower costs for consumers.
In the letter to the co-chairs of the caucus—Rep. Mike Kelly (R, Pa.), Rep. Ron Kind (D, Wis.), Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) and Rep. Ami Bera (D, Calif.)—NACDS noted that as the Caucus explores innovative approaches to improve healthcare quality, they should definitely look to pharmacy as part of the solution.
NACDS urged the Caucus to support new quality-based payment models that would encourage the inclusion of community pharmacy in the healthcare continuum and support for recognizing pharmacists as providers, especially in medically underserved areas. NACDS stated that “lack of remuneration imposes a major barrier for pharmacist participation in innovative models of care and needlessly limits the number and types of care services pharmacists provide.”
NACDS encouraged support for H.R. 592/S. 109, the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Enhancement Act, which would recognize pharmacists as providers in medically underserved communities and lead to better access to services for patients in those communities.
NACDS referenced studies that directly point to pharmacy’s value and the proven results of pharmacists’ positive impact on quality of care and reduced overall costs. NACDS concluded the letter by stating that “supporting pharmacists as medication experts and care providers to sustainably participate in modernized payment models is critical to further improving health outcomes and decreasing costs.”
NACDS’ letter convincingly details proven solutions pharmacy can provide that specifically align with the stated main focus of the Caucus, which is to “explore and advance successful, innovative payment models as well as the technologies needed to support these models.”
