[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 39 (Monday, March 10, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1485-S1486]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              RxIMPACT DAY

 Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I wish to recognize the sixth 
annual RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill. This is a special day where we 
recognize the contributions of pharmacies to the American health care 
system. This year's event, organized by the National Association of 
Chain Drug Stores, takes place this week. Nearly 400 individuals from 
the pharmacy community--including practicing pharmacists, pharmacy 
school faculty and students, State pharmacy leaders and pharmacy 
company executives--will visit Capitol Hill. They will share their 
views with Congress about the importance of supporting legislation that 
protects access to community and neighborhood pharmacies and that 
utilizes pharmacists to improve the quality and reduce the costs of 
providing healthcare.
  Advocates from 40 States have traveled to Washington to talk about 
the important role that over 40,000 community pharmacies nationwide 
play in big cities and small towns all over the country. Patients have 
always relied on their local pharmacist to meet their healthcare needs. 
The local pharmacist is a trusted, highly accessible healthcare 
provider deeply committed to providing the highest quality care in the 
most efficient manner possible.
  As demand for healthcare services continues to grow, pharmacists have 
expanded their role in healthcare delivery, partnering with physicians, 
nurses and other healthcare providers to meet their patients' needs. 
Innovative services provided by pharmacists do even more to improve 
patient healthcare. Pharmacists are highly valued by those that rely on 
them most--those in rural and underserved areas, as well as older 
Americans, and those struggling to manage chronic diseases. Pharmacy 
services improve patients' quality of life as well as healthcare 
affordability. By helping patients take their medications effectively 
and providing preventive services, pharmacists help avoid more costly 
forms of care. Pharmacists also help patients identify strategies to 
save money, such as through better understanding of their pharmacy 
benefits, using generic medications, and obtaining 90-day supplies of 
prescription drugs from local pharmacies.
  Pharmacists are the Nation's most accessible healthcare providers. In 
many communities, especially in rural areas, the local pharmacist is a 
patient's most direct link to healthcare. Eighty-nine percent of 
Americans reside within a 5-mile radius of a community pharmacy, and 
that is one of the reasons that pharmacists are one of our Nation's 
most trusted healthcare professionals. Utilizing their specialized 
education, pharmacists 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. Pharmacists are also 
expanding their role into new models of care based on quality of 
services and outcomes, such as accountable care organizations, ACOs, 
and medical homes.

[[Page S1486]]

  As we continue to implement healthcare reform and seek new strategies 
to improve patient care, pharmacists will play a critical role. As the 
chairman of the Senate Community Pharmacy Caucus, I believe Congress 
should look at every opportunity to make sure that pharmacists are 
allowed to utilize their training to the fullest to provide the 
services that can improve care and lower costs. In recognition of the 
sixth annual NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill, I congratulate 
pharmacy leaders, pharmacists, students, executives, and the entire 
pharmacy community represented by the National Association of Chain 
Drug Stores, for their contributions to the good health of the American 
people.

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