PolitiTalkRx Pharmacy Podcast Network

Tom Kraus VP, Government Relations at ASHP 
CMS pass through funding
What is pass through funding for residency programs and why is it so important?
On March 29th the US District Court of South Carolina granted MUSC Health’s motion for summary judgment again HHS for their disallowance of PGY1 residency costs. Can you provide some details/background on this case? What was the guidance that CMS was failing to provide?
Can speak about ASHP’s work with CMS to make the guidance more apparent to other programs moving forward?
What will be the downstream effect of this case on residency programs in the future?
Can you break down the practice for our listeners?
What are the concerns with white bagging?
What are the steps being taken at the state and federal level to take action to the concerns related to white bagging?

Co-signing letter to the FDA

Leveraging PELA and SPPL; can you explain?

Partnership with AHA

Provider status
Can you talk about the work ASHP has done to ensure that pharmacists can provide Medication-assisted treatment (MAT)?
At the end of April the US House and Senate introduced the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act. A similar bill has been submitted for the past couple of years. Can you walk us through the history of this bill? What it would allow pharmacists to do? Why it is so important for the Country? Statistics?
This bill continues to have bipartisan support. What do we need to do as pharmacists to finally get this passed?
COVID-19 and its effect on provider status and Advocacy
Since the start of COVID-19 we’ve seen congress put forth bills and amendments that outline the healthcare response to the pandemic. One such amendment to the PREP Act outlined that “any physician, advanced practice registered nurse, registered nurse, or practical nurse” who had a license within the last 5 years could participate in the vaccination effort, even if the license was inactive. Pharmacists were left out of this amendment originally. I believe that has since been updated, but what is it that we need to be doing as individuals within the profession to help government officials to understand the worth of pharmacists and consider them as a primary focus in any further legislation?
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On Dec. 10, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-0 that an Arkansas law regulating how PBMs and pharmacies interact could be enforced, and was not preempted by federal law.

With more than three dozen other states debating or passing such legislation, the ruling could have nationwide impact. The CEOs of national pharmacy organization were unanimous in hailing the decision.

In this episode, three guests discuss the case: Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Georgia); John Vinson, CEO of the Arkansas Pharmacists Association; and Scott Knoer, Executive Vice President and CEO of the American Pharmacists Association.

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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) has signed three innovative PBM reform bills into law. HB 946 and SB 313 require the reporting of drugs paid 10 percent above and 10 percent below National Average Drug Acquisition Cost every four months, prohibit PBMs from tying a pharmacy’s drug reimbursement to a patient’s health outcomes, and require PBMs to offer drug coverage plans that do not include spread pricing and plans that allow plan sponsors to receive 100 percent of rebates negotiated by PBMs. 

HB 918 strengthens existing anti-steering provisions and the Pharmacy Audit Bill of Rights. Congratulations to the Georgia Pharmacy Association and all pharmacy advocates for these wins which will protect pharmacies, patients, and payers. 

Guests: Georgia State Representative David Knight

Greg Reybold Vice President of Public Policy and Association Counsel

Hosted by Lauren (Colee) Young 

Sponsored by The Georgia Pharmacy Association & Pharmacists United for Truth and Transparency (PUTT) 

 

http://www.gpha.org/membership/ 

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PUTTcast Episode 5 - Chatting with VPhA

Guests: Christina Barrelle, Executive Director of VPhA, Howard Estes, Attorney & VPhA Lobbyist, Co-Hosts PUTT Executive Director Monique Whitney & PUTT Board President Scott Newman


PUTT chats with the Virginia Pharmacists Association about building relationships with state legislators, their recent win in PBM reform, and how they managed to catch the PBM lobby off guard to get things done.

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As a practicing Pharmacist, Diana Harshbarger could go on for days about the horrible effects Obamacare has had on the healthcare industry, as well as everyday Americans. Health insurance companies and government bureaucrats are out of control. Authority of healthcare choices should be given back to patients and healthcare providers. 

While there is much work to be done to eliminate the overreaching arm of the federal government when it comes to healthcare, the first steps Diana will take in Congress will be to lower prescription drug prices, increase generic drug pricing transparency as well as increase competition among health insurance plans. These reforms will make it easier for Americans, especially our seniors, to afford their medications.

This episode is sponsored by the University of California Irvine, UCI, Master of Science in Pharmacology, learn more: https://sites.uci.edu/mspharmacology/ 

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NCPA Team Members Anne CassityVP Government Affairs & Karry La Violette Senior Vice President, Government Affairs & Director of Advocacy Center

Join us on: 

Tuesday and Wednesday, April 21/22, 2020 at the Hilton, Old Town Alexandria.  

FLY In. FLY Out. Easy. 

That’s NCPA’s 2020 Congressional Pharmacy Fly-In – a small investment of your time that can make a whopping difference in how federal law and policy affect your pharmacy practice.

https://pharmacyflyin.ncpanet.org/

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