NACDS maintains message to Capitol Hill on value of community pharmacy

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores announced on Wednesday that, for the second time over the course of one week, it has engaged with a congressional committee to tell the story of community pharmacy’s value in improving patient health and reducing costs, and it has submitted a statement to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance for the hearing Wednesday titled “Progress in Healthcare Delivery: Innovations from the Field.”



“Community retail pharmacies are at the front line in the healthcare system, interacting with patients on a daily basis,” NACDS said in its statement to the committee.  “Community pharmacists are uniquely qualified through their comprehensive education and training to significantly reduce the problem of poor medication adherence.”

 

NACDS also recently urged the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to look to community pharmacy as an important partner in the healthcare delivery system.

 

NACDS is emphasizing the ways that community pharmacists interact with patients to improve their health, as well as help them lower their health costs through medication counseling services, such as medication therapy management; expanding the ability of pharmacists to administer vaccinations in the Medicare Part D program; and increasing the utilization of generic drugs as additional ways to improve health and reduce costs.

 

Reinforcing the importance of community pharmacy care in the statement to the Senate Committee on Finance, NACDS said, “NACDS thanks the committee for allowing us to share our comments on the role of community pharmacies in improving patient care and reducing healthcare costs through healthcare delivery system reform.”

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