SAN DIEGO — The National Community Pharmacists Association has released a new video that portrays the value of the personalized care that community pharmacists provide to patients.
 |
NCPA’s latest video shows an independent pharmacist dedicated to patient care and wary of the "red tape" involved in dealing with PBMs. (Click on photo to see video on YouTube.)
|
The new video premiered at NCPA’s 114th Annual Convention & Trade Exposition in San Diego this week and is featured on the educational website WhoRunsMyDrugPlan.com.
The video depicts an independent pharmacist with strong patient relationships. She monitors patients’ medication regimens to prevent drug interactions, promotes the appropriate use of generic drugs to lower costs, urges patients to take medication as directed, provides access to other health services such as immunizations, and helps patients "navigate the red tape" when dealing with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).
"Every day independent community pharmacists help patients get the full medical and economic value from their prescription drug benefit," NCPA chief executive officer B. Douglas Hoey said in a statement. "This video captures many of the contributions local pharmacists make to U.S. health care and the hurdles PBMs erect that can undermine that care.
"Studies have shown that, when properly utilized, community pharmacists can improve health outcomes and reduce costs," Hoey noted. "We encourage health plan sponsors and policymakers to support patient choice so that they can select a pharmacy provider that best meets their health needs and those of their family."
The video is the third in the NCPA series. In September, NCPA released the video "Mail Order Madness," which the association said amplified the voice of patients dissatisfied with mandatory mail-order plan designs. The first video, "The Third Wheel," was released in July in tandem with the launch of the WhoRunsMyDrugPlan.com site and parodies how PBMs can negatively affect the cost and value of prescription drug benefits, NCPA said.
