House panel weighs Medicare pharmacy services

WASHINGTON – This week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee Health Subcommittee considered legislation to expand Medicare coverage of certain pharmacist-provided services.

H.R. 3164, the Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act, would establish Medicare Part B coverage for certain pharmacist-provided services for common respiratory conditions in accordance with state scope-of-practice laws.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores has advocated for the legislation and its Senate companion, S. 2426, alongside members of the Future of Pharmacy Care Coalition.

Health Subcommittee Chairman Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) voiced support for the bill during the hearing.

“Another bill before us is the Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act, or ECAPS, led by Representative Smith of Nebraska and Representative Schneider of Illinois.

“This legislation would expand Medicare coverage for certain pharmacist services, such as pharmacist-provided testing.

“Community pharmacists are often among the most accessible providers in rural areas, which makes this legislation important for communities such as my district where many patients consider the pharmacy a critical point of care,” Griffith said.

Anthony Pudlo, PharmD, MBA, MS, chief executive officer of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association, also testified in support of the legislation.

“ECAPS helps close this gap by covering pharmacist-provided patient care services under Medicare Part B for common respiratory conditions aligned with state scope of practice as members of patient care teams and allowing Medicare beneficiaries to access these services closer to home,” Pudlo said.

NACDS president and CEO Steven C. Anderson said the legislation would create a Medicare payment mechanism for services pharmacists are already authorized to provide under state law.

“Importantly, this legislation does not expand pharmacists' scope of practice, nor does it overstep into state decision-making. H.R. 3164 would make available to seniors in Medicare specific pharmacist-provided services that other Americans already can access. H.R. 3164 establishes a Medicare payment mechanism for specific respiratory services in states that have authorized pharmacists to perform them,” Anderson wrote.