NACDS applauds Senate efforts to delay tamper-resistant prescription paper deadline

ALEXANDRIA, Va. The National Association of Chain Drug Stores on Tuesday applauded the Senate passage of a bill that will delay the use of tamper-resistant prescription paper for Medicaid prescriptions.

At Tuesday night’s meeting, Senators Sherrod Brown and George Voinovich (D and R-Ohio, respectively), introduced their legislation, which provides a six-month delay to the Oct. 1 implementation date requiring all Medicaid prescriptions to be written on tamper-resistant prescription paper.

The anti-fraud legislation was created as a provision in an Iraq war bill, which was passed in May. The NACDS has said that though it supports efforts to curb fraud and abuse, they also believe that four months is not enough time for physicians across the country to comply with such a widespread change. As a result, the NACDS applauded the Senate’s efforts to impede the new policy.

NACDS also said that after working with the National Community Pharmacy Association to address the change, they found that more than 535,000 Medicaid physicians validated the concern that many are not aware of this requirement or what they need to do to be in compliance.

“Pharmacists take great pride in their work and serving their patients,” said NACDS president and chief executive officer Steve Anderson. “The possibility of pharmacists being forced to turn away patients from receiving their medication is an unacceptable risk and one that pharmacists should not have to make.”