WASHINGTON — Pharmacy organizations have endorsed bipartisan House legislation to expand the pool of patients who qualify for medication therapy management (MTM) services.
The National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists Association hailed the legislation — H.R. 1024, the Medication Therapy Management Empowerment Act of 2013 — for being pro-patient and pro-pharmacy.
Introduced by Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R., Wash.), Ron Kind (D., Wis.), Lee Terry (R., Neb.) and Bruce Braley (D., Iowa), the bill seeks to expand Medicare patients’ access to MTM.
"This bill can help patients understand the importance of taking their medications as prescribed," NACDS president and chief executive officer Steve Anderson said in a statement. "Innovative pharmacy services such as MTM help to improve patient health and health care affordability, especially for those suffering from chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma and other conditions."
NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey called the bill "common sense, cost-effective legislation" that recognizes pharmacists’ expanding contributions to health care.
"Allowing more Medicare beneficiaries to receive one-on-one medication counseling from their trusted pharmacist will ensure that more seniors are taking their medication properly," Hoey stated.
McMorris Rodgers noted that nonadherence to medications is a national health dilemma.
"We all acknowledge the tremendous advancements that have been made in medicine, but more than half of all patients do not take their medications correctly — and seniors are particularly vulnerable," she commented. "These health risks — and the exorbitant costs associated with them — can be substantially reduced if MTM is expanded. That is exactly what this legislation will do. This bill will reduce costs and promote overall health for seniors in eastern Washington and all across America."
