A recent letter to Congressional leaders from a coalition headed by the National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention urges Congress to include payments for front-line pharmacists in the next COVID-19 relief package by designating them as providers under Medicare Part B.
The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) recently posted an article about the letter, which was signed by 24 national organizations, representing patients, consumers, the medically underserved, public health advocates, physicians and diverse health care providers.
“Congress must recognize pharmacists as providers of billable services to reinforce the meaningful expansion of patient care, especially in underserved or otherwise vulnerable populations,” the letter states.
Designating pharmacists as providers will, “multiply the sites where people can get COVID-19 and influenza testing and vaccination, and bring these services closer to where people live and work,” John M. Clymer, National Forum executive director, said in the post.
This is going to be especially important as the nation copes with the coming flu season in the midst of still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
“Congress and President Donald Trump can get ahead of the curve by enabling people to get COVID-19 and flu testing and vaccinations at pharmacies,” Clymer said.
Meg Freiter, APhA senior manager of pharmacy practice, said that inadequate access is worsening disparities in care that already exist in some communities, and removing barriers that prevent pharmacists from being an active part of the patient care team can alleviate some of that.
“It is critical that Congress act now to improve patient access to care nationwide in response to the pandemic,” Freiter said in the post. “This letter reinforces the importance of team-based care that puts patients first and recognizes that one way to strengthen this aim is by removing barriers to pharmacists’ services,”
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