- Oregon Pharmacists Obtain Provider Status (pharmacytimes.com)
….Oregon is the latest state to recognize pharmacists as health care providers. HB 2028 permits pharmacists to receive reimbursement for performing clinical pharmacy services, enabling them to more fully use their skills and knowledge to treat patients. The law went into effect immediately upon its passage on June 18, 2015.
- Congressional Bills Would Mandate Equal Coverage For Pills And IV Cancer Therapy (khn.org)
House and Senate legislators introduced bills...require health plans to cover the growing number of oral chemotherapy pills as favorably as they do intravenous chemotherapy. But an insurance trade group says that as long as drugmakers continue to increase the prices of the oral drugs, parity legislation amounts to a “shell game” that will push up everyone’s premiums.
- California Law Will Allow Pharmacists To Prescribe Birth Control (khn.org)
Pharmacists in California will soon be able to prescribe birth control. That’s under a new state law that grants expanded authority to pharmacists. While some doctors’ groups are skeptical, lawmakers say pharmacists can fill a need for primary care providers, especially in rural areas.
- North Dakota Begins Year With Pharmacy Focus (ashp.org)
North Dakota is making it easier for pharmacists to work on healthcare teams and also preparing the next generation of pharmacists to care for patients in contemporary practice settings. During its brief 2015 legislative session, the state enacted four laws that together enhance collaborative practice opportunities for pharmacists, confirm that pharmacists are healthcare providers, and provide new prescribing and billing authority under specific circumstances.
- California Women Can Soon Go Right To The Pharmacist For Birth Control (npr.org)
"The pharmacist is really an untapped resource," But there's a big drawback for pharmacists. Now they can perform all these services once reserved for the doctor's office. But, they won't get paid for the extra time it takes to provide them. The law does not compel insurance companies,...to reimburse these services…
- House draft budget would eliminate AHRQ (healthcareitnews.com)
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is currently funded to the tune of about $440 million… If the House Appropriations Committee has its way, that funding will vanish in FY16. AHRQ supports research…That includes studies on health information technology, patient safety, disease prevention, care management…...
- Pharmacists Could Soon Provide OTC Birth Control Pills (pharmacytimes.com)
A new bill introduced in the US Senate would permit pharmacists to dispense birth control pills without a prescription.
- House leaders rethink Cures bill’s Medicare offsets (smartbrief.com)
House leaders delayed putting the 21st Century Cures Act up for a floor vote as they reconsider …. proposal to cut Medicare Part D to pay for medical research. "If the 21st Century Cures initiative can only be advanced by cutting billions from America's premier health program -- Medicare -- then its costs outweigh any potential benefits….”
- NACDS to Senate: Pharmacy can help improve chronic care for Medicare patients (drugstorenews.com)
Emphasizing the importance of quality and affordability, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores urged the Senate ....to look to pharmacy in providing accessible, cost-effective preventive health services that can improve care for Medicare patients with chronic conditions.
- D.C. wants synthetic drug suppliers to get more than just ‘a slap on the wrist’ (washingtonpost.com)
D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser vowed Monday to crack down hard on suppliers of synthetic drugs after a spike in overdoses sent dozens to area hospitals in the past month. Bowser plans to introduce emergency legislation this week that would give the D.C. police chief authority to shut down any business found selling the drugs for a period of 96 hours while police investigate.