NACDS' Steve Anderson co-authors op-ed on pharmacist provider status

BOSTON — With the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Total Store Expo currently underway in Boston, the Boston Globe published an op-ed in its opinion section, Podium, which was co-authored by Steven Anderson, president and CEO of NACDS and Michael Malloy, PharmD and dean of the MCPHS University School of Pharmacy - Worcester/Manchester.



The piece focuses on proposed legislation that would allow pharmacists to help patients in underserved communities receive quality are, also while helping to reduce healthcare costs. Excerpts from the op-ed are below, and the full text can be viewed here:

 

“Proposed bipartisan legislation in the US House of Representatives — H.R. 4190 — would increase accessibility to affordable health care services for Medicare beneficiaries who are in medically underserved communities. The law would allow pharmacists under Medicare Part B to provide medically underserved communities with services that pharmacists are currently permitted to administer according to state law.



“This would not only begin to improve the health of people in medically underserved communities, it would help reduce the health care costs that burden our communities, businesses, and government by better managing chronic health issues that, if not managed closely, can lead to repeated hospital admissions or catastrophic situations.



“There are currently more than 4,000 licensed pharmacists in Massachusetts working in neighborhood pharmacies across the Commonwealth. The enactment of H.R. 4190 would allow these qualified health care professionals to get to work for medically underserved communities in Massachusetts and perform for Medicare patients important services such as vaccination screening and delivery, chronic disease management, medication therapy management, and preventive screenings such as testing of glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels.



“A July Internet survey of likely voters who are informed and engaged when it comes to current events found that 79 percent of respondents favor the legislation — including 36 percent who strongly favor it. The survey, conducted by Public Opinion Strategies and commissioned by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, also found tremendous bipartisan support, with 85 percent of Democrats and 76 percent of Republicans supporting it. This reflects the bill’s current co-sponsorship, with 50 Democrats and 44 Republicans cosponsoring it in the US House of Representatives.”