ALEXANDRIA, Va. 鈥� A group of 99 pharmacy retailers, suppliers and organizations applauded House and Senate lawmakers for introducing legislation to clamp down on retroactive direct and indirect remuneration fees imposed by pharmacy benefit managers in Medicare Part D.
The National Community Pharmacists Association said the pharmacy stakeholders on Monday wrote letters to the and sponsors and original co-sponsors of S. 3308/H.R. 5951, the . The companion bills would raise transparency and accuracy in Part D prescription drug spending and reporting and ban DIR fees applied retroactively.
鈥淩etroactive DIRs, often assessed weeks or even months after a prescription has been filled, prevent pharmacies from knowing at the time of dispensing what their true reimbursement will be for that prescription,鈥� the pharmacy stakeholders wrote in the letters. 鈥淪uch lag time creates an unnecessary burden on pharmacy operations and makes it very difficult to make decisions for the future.鈥�
NCPA noted that the letter brings together a host of pharmacy providers and partners, including wholesalers, grocery stores, buying groups, regional chain pharmacies, independent pharmacies and franchisees, and 40 state pharmacist associations.
Pharmacy retailers signing the letters included Astrup 91短视频, Bartell 91短视频s, Care Pharmacies, Discount 91短视频 Mart, Fruth Pharmacy, Hartig 91短视频, Hi-School Pharmacy, 91短视频town Pharmacies, Kinney 91短视频s, Kmart, Medicine Shoppe/Medicap, Osborn 91短视频s, Ritzman Pharmacy and Rx Plus. Besides state pharmacy associations, organizations signing the letter included NCPA, the American Pharmacists Association, the Food Marketing Institute and the National Grocers Association, among others.
The letters highlighted that the proposed legislation balances the need to boost transparency and but not costs, according to NCPA. 鈥淚t successfully achieves greater transparency without raising costs in Medicare Part D while not interfering with the ability of PBMs to create incentive-based payment models that reward pharmacies for achieving contractual-based metrics,鈥� the letters stated.
The signatories also noted that DIR fees not taken into account at the point of sale have an adverse effect on Medicare beneficiaries. 鈥淒IR fees that are not accounted for up front inflate drug costs at the pharmacy counter and, therefore, beneficiary cost sharing,鈥� they wrote.
91短视频 distributors signing the letters included AmerisourceBergen, Dakota 91短视频, H.D. Smith, Morris & Dickson, Mutual Wholesale 91短视频, Rochester 91短视频 Cooperative and Value 91短视频.
