ARLINGTON, Va. — More than six months into NACDS’ 90th Anniversary Year, the association continues to leverage a defining moment for pharmacy and for health and wellness.

Steven Anderson

Bipartisan momentum continues to swell at the federal and state levels for the policy priorities that are essential to patients and consumers — and to the NACDS-member chains and suppliers that serve them.

NACDS and the industry have much more to accomplish for the good of all Americans. Yet, I would like to focus on the tremendous progress being made in three key areas: on sustaining the post-pandemic pharmacy access that Americans rely on and expect; on bringing about reimbursement reform; and on innovating health and wellness through the NACDS 2023 initiative.

On patients’ post-pandemic access to pharmacy services

In just the first quarter of 2023, our industry earned two major victories for patient access. First, the Biden administration delivered on its April 14 pledge to issue a new PREP Act (Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act) amendment that would allow pharmacies to continue their critical roles in the COVID-19 response. This action — advocated by NACDS for two years — will preserve much of Americans’ pharmacy access by extending through December 2024 many of the policies that facilitate patients’ access to pharmacy-based care.

Just a week following this announcement, the Biden administration also took action on COVID-19 vaccination access for the uninsured — in a manner that is workable for pharmacies.

NACDS continues to urge states to use this time to safeguard patient access by making permanent all of the policies that empowered patients’ pharmacy access during the pandemic. An article prepared by former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official Lisa Koonin of Health Preparedness Partners and by NACDS coauthors, and published in Johns Hopkins’ peer-reviewed Health Security journal, demonstrates the importance of this call to action.

Also, NACDS is advocating strongly for the passage in Congress of H.R. 1770, the Equitable Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act. The bill — which has the support of nearly 200 organizations, including rural and senior advocacy groups; physician and provider groups; patient advocacy organizations; pharmacists; and health systems — would establish a reimbursement pathway for pharmacists’ services within Medicare. Seniors deserve support for access to the services that state laws make available in pharmacies.

The COVID-19 pandemic reaffirmed the simply irreplaceable role of pharmacy. An NACDS TV and digital ad, “Unbreakable,” released at the formal end of the COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11, recognizes pharmacists and pharmacy teams for their dedication, professionalism, knowledge, trust, accessibility and sacrifice — which opened the nation and our lives. As of the writing of this article, Federal Retail Pharmacy Program pharmacies have provided more than 303.7 million COVID-19 vaccinations. More than 43% of individuals vaccinated at pharmacy COVID-19 vaccination sites are in areas of high social vulnerability.

NACDS will continue to remind policy makers, at the federal and state levels, of the need to document the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and to act on them.

Americans across political parties and ideologies expect that leadership.

On reimbursement reform

A bipartisan commitment to deliver on PBM reform continues to grow at all levels and branches of government.

At the state level, we have seen more than 100 new state laws enacted over the past two years that address inequities and lack of transparency in the system. Twenty-seven more new laws were enacted in the first quarter of this year. Additionally, four states have made major Medicaid transitions recently that are good for patients — and for the pharmacies on which they rely.

We are seeing bipartisan leadership across the House of Representatives and the Senate on the issue. In May, crucial PBM reform legislation — the Promoting Access to Treatments and Increasing Extremely Needed Transparency (PATIENT) Act (H.R. 3561) — unanimously cleared the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce on a 49-0 vote. The bill would go a long way in confronting the harmful PBM tactics that threaten patients and the pharmacies serving them. The bill incorporates NACDS-backed legislation that brings about important PBM reform in Medicaid.

Meanwhile, the Senate Finance Committee is compiling a legislative initiative to advance that committee’s bipartisan legislative framework for PBM reform. Comprehensive direct and indirect remuneration (DIR) fee reform reportedly stands as one priority of the committee’s work.

Meanwhile, in addition to advancing legislation, congressional committees are investigating PBM tactics and the effects on consumers.

NACDS remains committed to securing solutions at the federal and state levels that improve the health and security of patients, communities, employers and taxpayers and of the pharmacies that serve them. Overall, NACDS is advocating for comprehensive PBM reform across all payer segments, consistent with NACDS’ Principles of PBM Reform.

Eight in 10 Americans find pharmacists credible on how to save money on prescription drugs. Pharmacists top the list. We know that from a survey by polling company Morning Consult, which was commissioned by NACDS.

We will live up to that trust, and help government deliver change.

On the NACDS 2023 initiative for health and wellness

There is an obvious opportunity, an obvious interest and an obvious need for this industry to play an even greater role in the health and wellness of the American people.

Through the NACDS 2023 initiative, NACDS is innovating the association’s approach to serving retailer and supplier members as they bring a “total store, total person” vision to health and wellness — in the pharmacy and beyond.

Specifically, the NACDS 2023 initiative focuses on making broad improvements in health and wellness, in addition to driving pharmacy innovation through reimbursement of care services and related interoperability advancements. We like to think of it as “Pharmacy Plus.”

The NACDS 2023 initiative continues to take shape in new and exciting ways.

On March 1, the association convened a Health and Wellness Stakeholder Forum in Washington, D.C. The event focused on innovation and collaboration among health and wellness leaders to address diet-related conditions. This forum continued the momentum from NACDS’ engagement in the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health in September 2022.

A month later, NACDS amplified a report conducted by Leavitt Partners, an HMA company. It underscores the value of pharmacist-provided clinical services in enhancing patient access and outcomes — and the importance of supporting pharmacy data interoperability so that more pharmacies have even greater abilities to provide expanded clinical services to the patients who rely on them.

Advancing pharmacy data interoperability remains a key aspect of the NACDS 2023 initiative — and the future of our industry.

Most recently, we announced that NACDS and the American Cancer Society together will conduct a major patient education campaign to help boost preventive screenings and nutrition awareness — especially for those in the most need.

With the support of NACDS members, community leaders and collaborators nationwide, we are charting the future of this dynamic and evolving industry. I am excited to see what more we do through the NACDS 2023 initiative to further leverage pharmacy’s collaborative role in the broader health care ecosystem.

Steve Anderson is president and chief executive officer of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.