Senate introduces companion bill to designate pharmacists as healthcare providers for Medicare patients

ARLINGTON, Va. — On the heels of Wednesday’s news that the U.S. House of Representatives introduced bipartisan legislation that would formally designate pharmacists as healthcare providers under Medicare Part B, the U.S. Senate has followed suit with a companion bill.



The bill would amend The Social Security Act of 1935 to enable pharmacists to provide to Medicare patients in underserved communities services that pharmacists already are providing for other patients under state law.



The Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act (S. 314) — introduced by Sens. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Mark Kirk, R-Ill., and Bob Casey, D-Pa. — would elevate pharmacists’ ability to improve patient health. Specifically, Medicare patients would gain enhanced access to pharmacists’ expertise and pharmacy services, including immunizations, diabetes screenings and self-management education, cardiovascular screenings and behavioral therapy, in states in which pharmacists are allowed to provide these services.



Leading industry members — including the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the National Community Pharmacists Association and the American Pharmacists Association — lauded the legislation.



“Through the introduction of this legislation, Senators Grassley, Brown, Kirk and Casey have demonstrated tremendous commitment to improved healthcare access and outcomes for underserved Medicare patients,” stated NACDS president and CEO Steve Anderson. “It makes good sense for pharmacists to be able to leverage their professional education for the benefit of patients in need, and to provide services that are within their scope of practice in each state.”



The legislation focuses on medically underserved communities, as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Categories of underserved communities include elderly and rural populations, residents of public housing, areas with a shortage of primary care providers and with high poverty rates, and persons with HIV/AIDS, among others.



“We commend the leadership of Senators Grassley, Brown, Kirk and Casey toward better utilizing the critical skills pharmacists possess in driving better health outcomes. S. 314 focuses on some of the most vulnerable seniors, those residing in medically underserved areas where health care options are limited, by broadening the availability and coverage of pharmacist-provided services,” stated NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey.



“APhA is thrilled to see the introduction of Senate legislation to increase patient access to health care through pharmacists’ vital patient care services,” added Matthew C. Osterhaus, a community pharmacy owner in Iowa and APhA president. In 2012, Osterhaus hosted a pharmacy visit for Grassley to showcase the importance of pharmacists in their community. “We are grateful to Senator Grassley and the other sponsors of both this legislation and the companion House bill and stand ready to work with you to pass this important Act.”



The Senate bill is a companion to the House bill introduced this week, H.R 592.  Identical legislation introduced in the House last year, in the 113th Congress, garnered strong bipartisan support with 123 cosponsors, and was also supported by NACDS.



“The support for the House bill in the last Congress and the swift introduction of bills in the House and Senate early in this new Congress demonstrate the momentum behind this important issue,” said Anderson.