NACDS calls for expansion of MTM, pharmacy reimbursement system reform

ALEXANDRIA, Va. An organization representing the country’s chain retail pharmacies is urging Congress to support pharmacy in its efforts to reform the healthcare system.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores sent a letter to congressional leaders Monday calling for expansion of medication therapy management and the reform of the pharmacy reimbursement system for generic drugs.

The letter – addressed to Senate majority and minority leaders Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Mitch McConnel, R-Ky., and their House counterparts, Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and John Boehner, R-Ohio, and signed by NACDS president and CEO Steven Anderson – calls for reforms of the average manufacturer price payment metric for generic drugs. The organization noted that the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 made “significant” cuts to Medicaid payments by authorizing AMP, expected to reduce payments to pharmacies by $8 billion over the next five years.

“We believe health reform legislation presents an important opportunity to address these systemic problems by expanding access to MTM services provided by community pharmacists throughout the healthcare system,” the letter read.

Other recommendations included provision of suitable reimbursement for MTM services and building on recent Medicare Part D MTM changes, such as a menu of MTM offerings recommended by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.