APhA: More than half of House supports provider status bill

WASHINGTON — The American Pharmacists Association announced Friday that its fight toward provider status for pharmacists had reached a big milestone. According to an email from APhA EVP and CEO Tom Menighan, 219 of the 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives had signed on as a sponsor or co-sponsored H.R. 592, the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act.

The act would designate pharmacists as providers under Medicare Part B, a move that could have a big impact on areas that are medically underserved, especially given a growing shortage of physicians and other health care professionals.

The email from Menighan urged pharmacists to visit its Pharmacists Provider Care site to contact their representative or senator, as there is a version of the bill making its way through the U.S. Senate as well.