CMS Approves NABP’s Home Infusion Therapy Pharmacy Accreditation
NABP is pleased to announce the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved the Association’s Home Infusion Therapy Pharmacy Accreditation. This CMS approval of NABP’s Home Infusion Therapy Pharmacy Accreditation deems NABP as a national accrediting organization for home infusion therapy suppliers that wish to participate in the Medicare billing program.
Access the NABP website to read the complete press release.
Medication Importation Requires More Study to Ensure Patient Safety, Cautions NABP
NABP renewed its call to more carefully study the safety implications of allowing importation of prescription drugs from Canada after the Trump Administration announced plans to allow this activity as part of the “America First Healthcare Plan.” In a letter to its members, the state boards of pharmacy, NABP cautioned that allowing such practices places American patients at risk.
Read the full press release to learn more.
FDA Finalizes Guidance, Encourages Development of New Medications for OUD
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued final guidance intended to help companies develop drugs to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). The guidance, “Opioid Use Disorder: Endpoints for Demonstrating Effectiveness of Drugs for Treatment,” also addresses the clinical endpoints acceptable for demonstrating effectiveness of drugs to treat OUD, and includes minor changes to the draft document. The guidance encourages drug sponsors to consider a variety of ways to evaluate the effect and clinical benefit of medications to treat OUD.
NABP also continues efforts to help patients with OUD, including with the presidential initiative of NABP President Timothy D. Fensky, RPh, DPh, FACA. President Fensky’s initiative seeks to improve pharmacist-provided medication-assisted treatment for patients with OUD by building on efforts of the state boards of pharmacy to combat the opioid crisis.
UHC Experiment Seeks to Tap Pharmacist Expertise to Improve Patient Outcomes
Recognizing evidence showing pharmacists have helped to improve clinical outcomes for people with chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and more, UnitedHealthcare (UHC) has been conducting an experiment in Ohio that adds pharmacists to the clinician team for patients. The goal is to help patients control chronic conditions and to reduce readmissions to hospitals.
Ohio is one of several states that have adopted laws that recognize pharmacists as health care providers, giving insurers the option to pay for higher-level pharmacist-provided services under medical benefits. Since then, UHC and other insurers in the state have rolled out pilot programs focused on Medicaid members in anticipation of new rules from the Ohio Department of Medicaid that would formally recognize pharmacists as health care providers.
More information about these pilot programs is available in the September 28, 2020 issue of Modern Healthcare (subscription required).
Pharmacists’ Contributions Celebrated This Month
A time to recognize pharmacists and celebrate their contributions to health care, American Pharmacists Month has been designated for the month of October by the American Pharmacists Association (APhA). The 2020 theme, “Essential Providers. Accessible Care,” highlights the role pharmacists have played during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, as well as the importance of patients’ ability to access pharmacists’ expertise. In addition to safely providing medicine, pharmacists offer many different services as part of their commitment to helping patients live healthier lives. To raise awareness about the many ways pharmacists provide care, whether it be in a hospital, ambulatory care, long-term care, or community settings, APhA offers free resources for printing and sharing on social media. To learn more, visit www.pharmacistsmonth.com.
‘Gone for Good’ Campaign Encourages At-Home Medication Disposal, Provides Free Disposal Pouch
As the COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid epidemic continue to collide, a drug disposal campaign is seeking to help Americans eliminate over 1 million unwanted prescription and over-the-counter pills that might otherwise be a source of misuse, abuse, accidental poisoning, or environmental harm. The campaign, “Gone for Good,” is sponsored by the Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic (SAFE) Project, a non-profit organization seeking to contribute to overcoming the opioid epidemic in the United States, and Deterra, a company that makes a drug deactivation and disposal system that can be used at home.
During the month of October, consumers throughout the US may fill out a form to receive a free pouch from Deterra that can be used to safely dispose of medications. During the first “Gone for Good” campaign in April 2020, more than 10,000 pouches were distributed to 46 states and the District of Columbia, according to a blog post on the SAFE Project website.
Another option for consumers who wish to dispose of unwanted medications is to utilize one of the thousands of drug disposal drop boxes operated throughout the country. Consumers may search for a location near them using NABP’s Drug Disposal Locator Tool.
NABP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit association that protects public health by assisting its member boards of pharmacy and offers programs that promote safe pharmacy practices for the benefit of consumers.
