NACDS Urges Continued Support of Pro-Patient, Pro-Pharmacy Provisions as the Senate Begins to Merge Healthcare Reform Bills
As the Senate begins the process of reconciling the healthcare reform bills from the Committees on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions' (HELP) and Finance, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) sent a letter to Senate leaders thanking them for their efforts on behalf of pharmacy, and urging them to continue to ensure pro-patient and pro-pharmacy provisions remain in the final legislation.
Alexandria, Va. (Vocus/PRWEB ) October 8, 2009 -- As the Senate begins the process of reconciling the healthcare reform bills from the Committees on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions' (HELP) and Finance, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) sent a letter to Senate leaders thanking them for their efforts on behalf of pharmacy, and urging them to continue to ensure pro-patient and pro-pharmacy provisions remain in the final legislation.
"[NACDS shares the goal of reforming the healthcare system to reduce costs, improve quality, and increase access" that "meets the needs of our member companies and the patients they serve."
In the letter, NACDS reiterated its support for a reformed Medicaid reimbursement rate for generic medications that is accurate, and applauded the Senate for incorporating patient - and pharmacy-friendly provisions in the healthcare reform bills, including a modification of onerous Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regulations on pharmacies which sell durable medical equipment (DME), and support for enhanced access to pharmacist-provided medication therapy management (MTM) services in a number of delivery system reform provisions.
The full text of the letter can be viewed here.
The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) represents traditional drug stores, supermarkets, and mass merchants with pharmacies. Its more than 160 chain member companies include regional chains with a minimum of four stores to national companies. NACDS members also include more than 1,000 suppliers of pharmacy and front-end products, and 85 international members representing 28 countries. Chains operate 39,000 pharmacies, and employ a total of more than 2.5 million employees, including 118,000 pharmacists. They fill more than 2.5 billion prescriptions yearly, and have annual sales of over $750 billion. For more information about NACDS, visit www.NACDS.org.
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