Pharmacist Provider Status Bill Update

Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act

HR.592 introduced by US Rep. Brett Guthrie and S.314 introduced by US Sen. Chuck Grassley:

• Formally recognizes pharmacists as health care providers under Medicare Part B
• Follows states’ scope of practice for all licensed pharmacists
• Serves patients in medically underserved areas (73 of Arkansas’s 75 counties count as “underserved”)

Hurdles to Passage

• Cost of implementing the bill has not yet been released by the Congressional Budget Office
• Poor understanding of “pharmacist services” and the ways pharmacists provide value
• Bill needs 230 cosponsors (22 sponsors away) from moving forward in the US House of Representatives
• There is a lot of room for more pharmacy advocates. Only 7500 of the nation's estimated 290,000 pharmacists have sent letters to Congress in support of the bill.

Future Hurdles

• Studies showing cost versus savings of pharmacists being formally recognized as providers
• Copays/medical coding issues
• Documentation practice standardization
• Billing issues
• Tracking pharmacist readiness
• Workflow issues

What Pharmacists Can Do Today

• Sign up for the Pharmacists Provide Care Coalition Newsletter
• Send a quick “Thank You” or “Please Support” email to your Representatives and Senators.
• Spread the word on social media and include patient-focused messaging

Key Takeaways

• More co-sponsors are needed to get the bill passed by Congress in its current session.
• The bill should be “scored” by the Congressional Budget Office in the coming weeks or months.
• The bill does not grant prescriptive authority unless it is already in a state’s scope of practice for pharmacists.
• The bill only pertains to pharmacists being recognized as providers under Medicare Part B.