One thing that can be said about the state of prescription medications in 2019 is that the pharmacy payment model is complex, convoluted and confusing. That’s how I began this column last year. And although some progress has been made in moving the model toward a system that better serves patients, that sentence still does
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Despite aggressive advocacy efforts by state-based pharmacy organizations and individual New York pharmacists, Gov. Andrew Cuomo this week vetoed legislation to help to rein in costly pharmacy benefit manager practices by giving the superintendent of insurance licensing and regulatory authority over PBMs. This regulatory authority would put an end to the lack
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Seniors would have more convenient access to discounted or “preferred” copays for prescription drugs at their pharmacy of choice under legislation reintroduced Thursday by Reps. Peter Welch (D, Vt.) and Morgan Griffith (R, Va.). The bipartisan legislation is endorsed by the National Community Pharmacists Association. NCPA chief executive officer B. Douglas Hoey
SAN DIEGO — The National Community Pharmacists Association announced Monday that it has teamed up with PRS to launch the NCPA CBD Source, a first-of-its-kind online resource for community pharmacies featuring cannabidiol products as well as general information about the CBD industry. The NCPA CBD Source will serve as an easy-to-navigate website providing pharmacies with
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — In print ads Tuesday in the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, the National Community Pharmacists Association is urging policymakers to rein in pharmacy benefit managers to help lower drug costs. These ads complement NCPA’s ongoing efforts in its years-long campaign to reform pharmacy direct and indirect remuneration (DIR) fees, a
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — When the West Virginia Medicaid agency started managing the Medicaid managed care prescription drug benefit directly in July 2017, state officials were relying on an actuarial study forecasting a $30 million savings for the state. This week, the West Virginia Bureau for Medical Services released a report showing actual savings of $54.4
ARLINGTON, Va.— The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) and the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) Tuesday lauded 24 patient and consumer groups for advocating for pharmacy direct and indirect remuneration (DIR) fee reform. In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator
METAIRIE, La. — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar yesterday visited Chateau Drugs and Gifts in Metairie, La., which is owned by National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) members Kerry and Diane Milano, both of whom are registered pharmacists. Azar made the visit to help highlight efforts by the Trump administration to
WASHINGTON — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) and the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) Tuesday praised a bipartisan Senate letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. The letter thanked the Secretary for concepts in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed rule, Modernizing Part D and Medicare Advantage
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A years-long effort led by the National Community Pharmacists Association to build support for a proposal to move pharmacy price concessions to point-of-sale reached a critical milestone on Jan. 25, 2019. Nearly 3,500 pharmacists and 170 patients formally voiced their support for parts of a proposed Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services drug
Editor’s note: This was part of CDR’s 2019 Pharmacy Outlook in the January 7 issue. One thing that can be said about the state of prescription medications in 2019 is that the pharmacy payment model is complex, convoluted and confusing. Over $400 billion dollars are spent on prescription drugs, yet finding someone in the distribution
DUBLIN, Ohio — Cardinal Health announced today it has acquired Mirixa Corp., a leading provider of technology-enabled solutions for the provision of medication therapy management (MTM) services, from the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA). The business will integrate into OutcomesMTM, a pioneer in the MTM market, at Cardinal Health. This expanded portfolio from Cardinal Health will bring
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A new drug pricing rule, proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and released Monday, Nov. 26, considers policies theNational Community Pharmacy Association and CMS say will lower patients’ out-of-pocket costs at the pharmacy counter and lead to a more competitive and efficient part D program. NCPA advocated aggressively
WASHINGTON – As President Trump signs H.R. 6, the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act, several National Community Pharmacists Association-supported provisions contained in the opioid package become law. NCPA chief executive officer B. Douglas Hoey and Karry La Violette, NCPA’s senior vice president of government affairs and director