NCPA to CMS: Implement changes we suggested in Part D rule
By HME News Staff
Updated 11:34 AM CST, Wed March 9, 2022
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists Association said it has strong concerns about CMS’s proposed Medicare Part D rule, which outlines the latest efforts by the agency to lower out-of-pocket drug costs for patients and address pharmacy direct and indirect remuneration fees. In comments submitted on the rule, NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey said that without incorporating changes suggested by the association, the proposed rule “will fail to achieve its intended goals.” Some of those changes: ensure transparency of pharmacy reimbursement at the point of sale; close the coverage gap loophole; address the effects on pharmacy cash flow; and enforce existing network adequacy and contract provision requirements. “On behalf of the 19,400 independent community pharmacies across the country, NCPA urges CMS to address the concerns we have raised in this letter in the final rule for CY2023 to ensure the continued vibrancy and financial solvency of the independent pharmacies serving millions of patients in their local communities every day," Hoey wrote. The NCPA's concerns are being echoed by more than 200 pharmacy stakeholder comments.
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