Tag: NCPA

WASHINGTON – A record 300-plus advocates participated in the NCART/NRRTS Virtual Congressional Fly-in on Sept. 14.  Those advocates, who included consumers, clinicians, providers, manufacturers, family members, caregivers and others, held meetings with 292 congressional offices throughout the day.  “In the weeks ahead, we will be carrying out the important task of following up with offices on the ‘congressional asks’ presented,” said Don Clayback in an...

WASHINGTON – CMS has opened the National Coverage Determination for seat elevation systems used with power wheelchairs, but the agency is not reconsidering coverage for power standing systems at this time.  CMS said in May it would commit to re-opening the NCD, nearly two years after the ITEM Coalition submitted a formal request to reconsider the NCD for mobility assistive equipment to include coverage for these systems.   “Now is the time for Medicare – the largest...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Pharmacy students from the University of South Carolina, the University of Arkansas and the University of Georgia have been named finalists for the 2022 Good Neighbor Pharmacy NCPA Pruitt-Schutte Student Business Plan Competition. The purpose of the competition is to motivate students in pharmacy school to create a thought-out plan for either purchasing an existing pharmacy or opening a pharmacy from the ground up, and to prepare tomorrow’s pharmacy entrepreneurs for...

WATERLOO, Iowa – For every $1 CMS invests in DME and supplies to prevent pressure sores, it will see a return of $38.54 in reduced or avoided treatment costs, according to an updated study from VGM Government Relations and Leitten Consulting.  DME and supplies to prevent pressure sores was one of three new categories included in the study. The others: catheters and related urological supplies, and diabetic test strips and monitors.  “As CMS forced prices down and treatment...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Constant efforts by independent pharmacy stakeholders have unleashed a “tidal wave” of activity to reform pharmacy benefit managers, says Matthew Seiler, general counsel for the National Community Pharmacists Association.  In June, the Federal Trade Commission announced it would initiate a formal study of PBM behavior and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation voted to advance the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Transparency Act introduced...

 ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has revised the Emergency Use Authorization for Paxlovid to authorize state-licensed pharmacists to prescribe the drug to eligible patients, with certain limitations to ensure appropriate patient assessment and prescribing. “Pharmacists are the drug therapy and drug interaction experts,” said B. Douglas Hoey, CEO of the National Community Pharmacists Association. “This move opening up their ability to assess...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Registration is open for the National Community Pharmacists Association’s 2022 Annual Convention, Oct. 1-4, in Kansas City, Mo. This will be the association’s second in-person convention since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. NCPA President Michele Belcher says it will be a great opportunity to get together with colleagues and allies at the premier event for neighborhood pharmacy owners and their staff. “This year’s convention will be all about independent...

ALEXANDRIA, Val. – The National Community Pharmacists Association and the American Pharmacists Association have voluntarily dismissed their lawsuit in the wake of a new CMS rule on Part D that they hope makes it unnecessary. The NCPA filed the lawsuit in the closing days of the Trump administration, after multiple administrations failed to address retroactive pharmacy direct and indirect renumeration (DIR) fees. “We’ve been fighting in Congress for years to end retroactive pharmacy...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists Association reiterated its call to the Federal Trade Commission to block UnitedHealth Group’s acquisition of Change Healthcare in a recent letter. UHG owns United Healthcare, a major health insurer, and Optum, a pharmacy benefit manager and mail order pharmacy. NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey has warned the merger would create a massively unfair advantage in the marketplace for a company that is already dominant and would threaten fair competition,...

AMSTERDAM – Philips Respironics has determined that exposure to the level of VOCs identified to date for the first-generation DreamStation devices is not typically anticipated to result in long-term health consequences for patients.  The announcement comes after an assessment by an outside medical panel and Philips and is intended to give healthcare providers the most recent data. Overall guidance for physicians and patients in the recall notification remains unchanged.  At...