Advocacy

NACDS RxIMPACT pharmacy advocates are urging senators to sign a letter to HHS Sec. Alex Azar that outlines the negative effects of DIR fees on Medicare patients and on pharmacies.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores worked with the American College of Gynecologists and the American Pharmacists Association to create a tip sheet for clinicians looking to establish a referral system.

Albertsons pharmacies were given agency approval to pilot Idaho’s new prescribing authority, which took effect July 1, making it the first large retail chain pharmacy in the nation to offer these expanded services.

The legislative package focused on opioid abuse included the NACDS-backed Every Prescription Conveyed Securely Act, which would require controlled substances under Medicare Part D to be prescribed electronically.

CVS Health has been named among volunteer service organization Points of Light’s Civic 50, a list of what it deems the top community-minded companies in the United States.

The Senate Finance Committee has passed the Every Prescription Conveyed Securely Act, little more than a month after the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed its House counterpart.

The National Community Pharmacists Association’s new senior vice president of government affairs and director of its Advocacy Center Karry La Violette’s has been with the organization since 2011, during which time she has led federal government affairs program, which included Capitol Hill and Administration lobbying efforts.

Pharmacy advocates and organizations are pushing for legislation that focuses on enabling pharmacies to deliver improved patient health, with two areas of the business coming to the fore — ensuring transparent reimbursements and fighting the opioid crisis.