WASHINGTON — The President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis has issued its final report, which includes 56 recommendations to the Trump administration to help fight opioid abuse. President Donald Trump formed the presidential commission, chaired by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R.), in a March 29 executive order as a way
ORLANDO, Fla. — Despite pharmaceutical market changes pressuring their businesses, independent pharmacies remain a mainstay care destination for millions of Americans, according to the National Community Pharmacists Association’s 2017 NCPA Digest. NCPA said Monday that its annual benchmarking survey, sponsored by Cardinal Health Inc., finds that independent community pharmacies continue to broaden their scope of
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — With tax reform now topping the congressional and Trump administration agendas, the National Community Pharmacists Association is speaking up on behalf of independent pharmacies. NCPA said Tuesday that it has sent a letter to Sen. Orrin Hatch (R., Utah), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Rep. Kevin Brady (R., Texas), chairman
For many pharmacists, provider status is the Holy Grail — seemingly in range yet still agonizingly beyond their grasp. While some pharmacists already provide clinical services to patients — from immunizations to medication therapy and chronic disease management to health coaching and point-of-care testing — a reliable, third-party compensation model for those services has yet
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association and the Arkansas Pharmacists Association (APA) have filed an amici curiae brief in federal court against a challenge by the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA). NCPA said the brief, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, supports Arkansas in a lawsuit initiated by
WASHINGTON — The drive to repeal and replace Obamacare has hit a roadblock. The Congressional Budget Office found that the G.O.P.-led American Health Care Act (AHCA) would leave 23 million more people uninsured in a decade. The CBO assessment cast further doubt on the chances of the Senate passing a similar bill to the AHCA,
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — As the Senate gauges the House of Representatives’ bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the National Community Pharmacists Association has called for the retention of key pharmacy-related elements. NCPA on Thursday said it sent a letter to the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) and a 12-member working group of
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association has partnered with Union Springs Healthcare (USH) to spur more pharmacist-patient interaction. NCPA said that, under the partnership, it will offer independent pharmacies USH’s Companion Care Counseling (CCC) Program, aimed at fostering more constructive pharmacist-patient interaction to address common health problems or side effects from prescription drug
WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives today narrowly approved a bill to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. Legislators voted 217-213 to overturn many of the law’s popular consumer protections, eliminate the individual mandate, and recast the insurance market. “This bill delivers on the promises that we have made to the American people,” said House Speaker
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Community pharmacy made its voice heard on Capitol Hill this week. The National Community Pharmacists Association said Friday that it tallied hundreds of engagements with lawmakers at the NCPA Congressional Pharmacy Fly-In, held April 26 and 27. Coming to Washington from 37 states, community pharmacists visited more than 250 congressional offices for
A lobbying event in Washington has triggered salvoes between two combatants: independent community pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers. The National Community Pharmacists Association is holding its Congressional Pharmacy Fly-In advocacy drive this week, where it will also release “The PBM Story: What They Say, What They Do, and What Can Be Done About It,” offered
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Starting tomorrow, hundreds of community pharmacists will be gathering in Washington, D.C., for the National Community Pharmacists Association 2017 NCPA Congressional Pharmacy Fly-In. NCPA said that on April 26 and 27 pharmacists will meet with members of Congress to advocate for a legislative agenda aimed at improving patient access to prescription drugs
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association has endorsed legislation to foster pharmacy participation in preferred networks in Medicare Part D prescription drug plans. NCPA said the Ensuring Seniors Access to Local Pharmacies Act of 2017 (H.R. 1939), introduced by Reps. Morgan Griffith (R., Va.) and Peter Welch (D., Vt.), would enable pharmacies in
WASHINGTON — Sen. Ron Wyden (D., Ore.) has introduced the Creating Transparency to Have Drug Rebates Unlocked Act (C-THRU), aimed at bringing more visibility into prescription drug pricing by pharmacy benefit managers. The C-THRU legislation, initiated Wednesday in the Senate Finance Committee, would require PBMs serving Medicare Part D plans to disclose the aggregate rebates
