National Association of Specialty Pharmacy Executive Director Sheila Arquette recently responded to a report on direct and indirect remuneration (DIR) fees commissioned by the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association.
“The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) recently commissioned a report about direct and indirect remuneration (DIR) fees, which speculated on how they may be beneficial to the federal government,” Arquette said in the statement. “The answer is simple: DIR fees collected from specialty pharmacies are neither beneficial to the taxpayer-funded Medicare Part D program, nor to the sick seniors enrolled in the vital safety net program.”
Arquette claimed that the study is one of many in a long line paid for by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) attempting to justify their allegedly monopolistic and opaque practices.
“Specialty pharmacies and the sick seniors we treat need PBMs to demonstrate, in a way that is much more transparent, how they calculate reimbursement for specialty services and care,” Arquette said. “Increasing transparency within big PBMs would benefit the industry and the patients we serve, helping us to finally institute clear metrics and incentives that would be aligned with the services and patient outcomes that specialty pharmacy provides, and which also align with the foundational goals of the Medicare Part D program: quality, cost effectiveness and patient satisfaction.”
Alerts Sign-up