Tag: NCPA

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – B. Douglas Hoey, CEO of the National Community Pharmacists Association, came away from a recent roundtable discussion with Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra feeling “positive.”  “It’s my opinion that the secretary will be receptive to expanding (access) to health care and utilizing pharmacies to do that,” he said.  Hoey spoke with HME News recently about the meeting and where he thinks Becerra may stand on certain...

WASHINGTON – VGM has asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to expedite its approval process for a replacement foam for respiratory devices affected by the Philips recall.  “We are requesting accelerated approval from the FDA for this critical replacement component for approved technicians to rapidly start the process of replacing/repairing all recalled units,” states VGM in a letter to the agency.  Philips on June 14 announced a voluntary recall of certain...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Doug Hoey has been elected as president of the World Pharmacy Council, an international group with a mission of building international recognition of community pharmacy and its role, policies and value. “Community pharmacies in many countries have been integral to the fight against COVID-19 pandemic,” said Hoey. “I am humbled to be elected by my international colleagues to promote the work pharmacists are doing around the world to improve quality of care,...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists Association, as part of a congressional hearing on Tuesday, submitted a statement on the record pushing the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust and Consumer Rights to scrutinize the role of vertically integrated for-profit companies that have affiliated with pharmacy benefit managers. “The ability of PBMs to game the system not only results in the closure of pharmacies in rural and underserved communities...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A group of nine pharmacy associations, including the National Community Pharmacists Association, has filed a friend of the court brief in the Eighth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals defending North Dakota’s right to regulate pharmacy benefit managers. The case, Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) v. Wehbi, is the first to consider at the federal appellate level the scope of the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous decision last year upholding an Arkansas...

[email protected] has hired Rebecca Small as vice president of DME/HME business development. Small has 15 years of experience in health care sales, marketing and billing. “Becky possesses more than two decades of extensive medical equipment and device sales, billing, orthotic fitter and business owner experience,” said Ty Bello, CEO. “She brings a unique business development acumen to the medical equipment provider and those exploring business opportunities in this post-acute market”…The...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists Association supports legislation reintroduced by Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., that would require the Federal Trade Commission to study the role and recent merger activity of pharmacy benefit managers, including possible anticompetitive behavior. S. 1388, the Prescription Pricing for People Act, will bring more transparency into health care by addressing high drug costs and patient challenges, says B. Douglas...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists Association supports legislation that would give seniors more convenient access to discounted or “preferred” co-pays for prescription drugs at their pharmacy of choice. H.R. 2608, the Ensuring Seniors Access to Local Pharmacies Act, would also empower more seniors to choose the pharmacy that best fits their needs, promote transparency so that pharmacies have a clear understanding of their reimbursement, and tackle conflicts of...

DARIEN, Ill. – Sleep medicine has proven to be a specialty that can offer complete and quality care remotely, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine says in a recently published position paper. While the technology to remotely connect doctor and patient has been in place for years, its use was limited until the pandemic, when CMS lifted restrictions on telehealth reimbursement and private companies followed suit. “Delivering care during the pandemic has proven to providers and insurers...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Enrollment is open now through July 31 for the NCPA Innovation Center/CPESN Community Pharmacy Fellowship, sponsored by Good Neighbor Pharmacy. The Community Pharmacy Fellowship is an intensive 12-month online educational program for individual pharmacists practicing in a CPESN pharmacy, focusing on implementation of enhanced clinical services with the goal of transforming as many practices as possible, as quickly as possible. “You don’t have to be a recent pharmacy...