Sen. Mark Pryor, columnist Mort Kondracke to address NACDS RxImpact Day attendees

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores has announced that it will hold its fourth annual NACDS RxImpact Day on Capitol Hill on March 21 to 22 in Washington, D.C.



The event will bring pharmacists, pharmacy leaders, students and other pharmacy advocates to meet with lawmakers to discuss the value of community pharmacy in improving health and reducing healthcare costs across the board.



“Just as community pharmacy highlights the value of the patient-pharmacist relationship, there is a high value placed on the interaction of pharmacy advocates engaging with lawmakers,” NACDS president and CEO Steve Anderson said. “The NACDS RxImpact Day on Capitol Hill is an important opportunity for community pharmacy advocates to engage with lawmakers on pro-patient, pro-pharmacy issues.”



During the two-day event, pharmacy advocates will conduct hundreds of individual meetings with lawmakers and their staffs on behalf of community pharmacy.  Advocates will discuss a variety of issues including medication therapy management, protecting fair and accurate reimbursement in the Medicaid program and issues related to pharmacy benefit managers.



This year’s event also will include insights on the health care and pharmacy landscape in this Presidential election year.  Roll Call political columnist and television personality from “The McLaughlin Group” and Fox News Channel Mort Kondracke will address attendees during the Welcome Dinner on March 21.



Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., will serve as the keynote speaker at the Breakfast Briefing on March 22.  Sen. Pryor is the sponsor of the bipartisan legislation S. 1058, the Pharmacy Competition and Consumer Choice Act of 2011, which would preserve pharmacy choice for patients and take additional steps to prevent threats to pharmacy patient care.



“Community pharmacies are located in every congressional district across the country, providing important patient services that help improve health and reduce costs including medication counseling, vaccinations and health screenings. We urge pharmacy advocates to engage on key issues that impact community pharmacy and patient care by participating in the NACDS RxImpact Day on Capitol Hill,” Anderson added.

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