NACDS membership has ‘never been stronger’
National Association of Chain Drug Stores president and CEO Steve Anderson
In February, CEO Update named National Association of Chain Drug Stores president and CEO Steve Anderson Trade Association CEO of the Year.
No doubt NACDS is stronger today than it has been in a decade or more. But if you asked Anderson, he would give the credit to NACDS’ members.
“An association is only as strong as its membership,” Anderson has frequently remarked over the years.
Today, the chain pharmacy industry has annual sales of more than $1 trillion, employs nearly 3.3 million individuals and works with suppliers and other partners to help meet the health, wellness and daily needs of patients and consumers across America. Nearly all Americans (94%) live within five miles of a retail pharmacy. More important, the practice of pharmacy has made huge advancements under Anderson’s leadership. Community pharmacy’s message and value proposition to American health care has never been more clearly articulated, and the industry has earned a hard-fought seat at the table on important healthcare policy decisions.
In this issue, DSN looks at some of the more important work accomplished by NACDS under Anderson’s leadership.
Making an RxImpact
Now in its eighth year, NACDS’ RxImpact Day on Capitol Hill is a strong reflection of the strength of NACDS’ membership. This year’s event brought nearly 400 pharmacy advocates to Capitol Hill from March 16 to 17 to meet with almost 90% of the U.S. Congress.
This year, 31% of NACDS chain member companies were represented at the event, and compared with the 2015 event, chain personnel participation was up 5%.
“This is a special day where we recognize pharmacy’s contribution to the American healthcare system,” stated Rep. David Loebsack, D-Iowa. “Patients have always relied on their local pharmacist to meet their healthcare needs. The local pharmacist is a trusted, highly accessible healthcare provider deeply committed to providing the highest quality care in the most efficient manner possible.”
Making a ‘point’ with vaccinations
There has been perhaps no single better demonstration of community pharmacy’s contribution to public health — or a better measure for how far the pharmacy profession has advanced in the last decade — than vaccinations and immunizations. Ten years ago, it would have been nearly impossible to imagine getting a flu shot from a pharmacist because pharmacists were not licensed to do so. Today, pharmacists in all 50 states can administer flu shots and at least two other vaccinations — in 2015, Georgia became the last state to clear that hurdle.
In a nationwide survey of consumers sponsored by NACDS in 2015, 79% of respondents voiced support for pharmacists as a resource for “administering vaccinations and immunizations for preventing or treating illnesses, such as the flu, hepatitis, pneumonia and tetanus.”
Implementation of AMP remains key focus
In March the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued the Covered Outpatient Drugs final rule with comment that addresses key areas of Medicaid drug reimbursement and changes made to the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program by the Affordable Care Act.
“This is the latest chapter in a decade-long saga that has required NACDS and our allies to defend pharmacy patient care against the potentially devastating cuts of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005,” said Steve Anderson, president and CEO of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores. “We are at this point today because NACDS and our allies have waged a pro-patient and pro-pharmacy effort.” Pharmacy leaders remain vigilant, advocating at the state level during the critical implementation phase and monitoring for any missteps that could hurt pharmacy patient care.
The push for provider status
As the practice of pharmacy has expanded and evolved, so too has the public’s perception of the pharmacist as a highly skilled, clinically trained frontline health provider. In a nationwide survey of consumers sponsored by NACDS in 2015, more than 7-in-10 expressed support for using pharmacy-based retail clinics for primary healthcare services, and nearly two-thirds of those polled said pharmacies should be allowed to administer blood, urine or strep tests.
The Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act — now pending in Congress as H.R. 592 and S. 314 — would feed that perception by designating pharmacists as healthcare providers in Medicare Part B and empowering them to deliver services to Medicare patients in underserved communities, according to pharmacists’ scope of practice laws in each state.
Support for the bill continues to grow in Congress. As of March, 60% of House members and 40% of the Senate supported provider status for pharmacists.
Improving outcomes, lowering costs
The push to expand MTM services has gained traction at CMS — and within Congress — as its benefits as a tool for improving long-term patient outcomes and lowering health costs have become clear. Late last year, 44 members of the House, including 24 Republicans and 20 Democrats, sent a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell, urging the participation of retail pharmacists in the Enhanced MTM program, and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on “Examining the Medicare Part D Medication Therapy Management Program.”
In their letter to Burwell, the house members noted, “we believe the proposed enhanced MTM model to be a positive step forward in improving the Part D MTM program. However, we also believe that without participation of retail community pharmacists, the testing of enhanced MTM models will fall short of achieving the maximum potential in terms of positive outcomes and impact on beneficiary health.”
Community pharmacy advocates lauded the moves. “Studies conducted by entities including ... CMS, the Congressional Budget Office and the Medicare Payment Advisory Committee show — among other results — that improved medication use leads to better health outcomes for patients, including reduced mortality; the reliance on fewer healthcare services, such as hospital readmissions and emergency room visits; and more cost-effective treatment of chronic conditions,” NACDS noted.
INDUSTRY PULSE
“Due to the complexity of our nation’s healthcare system, a strong voice is required to influence stakeholders on the important role that chain pharmacy plays in ensuring access to affordable, high quality and convenient care. Under Steve’s leadership, NACDS has become one of the most effective advocates for the value that pharmacists ... provide.” — Larry Merlo, president and CEO, CVS Health
“Steve has built a strong and unique association which continues to advocate for pharmacy in a b