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Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act, H.R. 592/S. 314, would give state-licensed pharmacists in underserved communities provider status, enabling them to provide...services to Medicare patients...bill would amend Medicare Part B rules to allow pharmacists to receive payment for their care services, thereby increasing patients’ access to essential services,...

Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law on Friday House Bill 182, which allows pharmacists to administer the flu vaccine to patients 9 years of age and older,…bill also allows licensed, trained pharmacy interns to immunize under direct supervision of a pharmacist who possesses an immunization license…

Sandra Leal, Vice President for Innovation at SinfoniaRx explains the important of provider status in value-based care.

"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…

..how you can get more involved in supporting the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act , the provider status legislation for pharmacists. Here are a few tips on how you can help encourage your Members of Congress to support H.R. 592/S. 314.

• When Congress is IN session
•  E-mail
•  Call
•  Visit
•  Gossip
• When Congress is OUT of session
•  Plan a visit
•  Host a Member at your pharmacy (or your school!).
•  Attend a Town Hall

A discharge clinic, staffed with a pharmacist ...who meet with patients after their release from the hospital, has helped…cut its readmission rates, Medication management issues are one of the primary reasons behind preventable readmissions,…they credit the success of the program to the participation of pharmacists, who conduct a comprehensive medication history and hospital course evaluation on patients.

John Moorman, PharmD, BCPS, Pharmacist at Akron General Medical Center in Ohio discusses the Provider Status Movement in Ohio.

Sandra Leal, PharmD, at SinfoniaRx explains the importance of provider status in value-based care.

….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.