[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 45 (Monday, March 19, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E381-E382]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            FOURTH ANNUAL NACDS RxIMPACT DAY ON CAPITOL HILL

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. MIKE ROSS

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 19, 2012

  Mr. ROSS of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, the Fourth Annual NACDS RxIMPACT 
Day on Capitol Hill is a special day where we recognize pharmacy's 
contribution to the American healthcare system. The event, organized by 
the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, takes place on March 21 
22. Hundreds from the pharmacy community--including practicing 
pharmacists, pharmacy school faculty and students, state pharmacy 
leaders and pharmacy company executives--will visit Capitol Hill to 
share their views with Congress about the importance of supporting 
legislation that protects access to neighborhood pharmacies and 
utilizes pharmacists to improve the quality and reduce the costs of 
healthcare.
  Two of these attendees from more than 40 states who have traveled to 
Washington are from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences 
College of Pharmacy. These important healthcare providers are here to 
urge Congress to recognize the value of pharmacists and protect access 
to these medication experts as a part of our valued healthcare delivery 
system.
  Pharmacists are the nation's most accessible healthcare providers and 
nearly all Americans live within five miles of a community retail 
pharmacy. There are 116 chain pharmacies and 108 independent pharmacies 
in

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my own Congressional District in Arkansas. Pharmacy has a long history 
of receiving, filling, billing and dispensing prescriptions in tandem 
with counseling. But pharmacists, utilizing their specialized 
education, also play a major role in medication therapy management, 
disease state management, immunizations, healthcare screenings, and 
other healthcare services designed to improve patient health and reduce 
overall healthcare costs.
  We have a responsibility to adopt policies in recognition that 
pharmacists help patients adhere to their medications to improve health 
outcomes and reduce the risks of adverse events and unnecessary costly 
hospital readmissions and emergency room visits. Congress recognized 
the important role of local pharmacists when it included a Medication 
Therapy Management (MTM) benefit in Medicare Part D. As we have seen 
the increasing power of this benefit in improving patient health 
outcomes, I support community pharmacy's efforts to strengthen the MTM 
benefit so it is available for seniors and others struggling with 
chronic conditions and other illnesses.
  We also have a responsibility to implement fair reimbursement for 
pharmacies for the cost effective medications that they dispense. 
Furthermore, we have a responsibility to protect American consumers and 
the pharmacies that serve them from corporate middlemen known as 
Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs). Despite their claims to the contrary, 
PBMs drive up prescription drug costs, restrict consumers' choice of 
pharmacy, use gimmicks to delay payments to pharmacies and use private 
and sensitive health information for illegitimate purposes. Nothing is 
more important to chain pharmacy than the health and safety of their 
patients and the well-being of the American public.
  Today, I celebrate the value of pharmacy and support efforts to 
protect access to neighborhood pharmacies and utilize pharmacies to 
improve the quality and reduce the costs of healthcare. In recognition 
of the Fourth Annual NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill, I would like 
to congratulate pharmacy leaders, pharmacists, students, and executives 
and the pharmacy community represented by the National Association of 
Chain Drug Stores for their contributions to the good health of the 
American people.

                          ____________________