ROSEMONT, IL 16 June 2009—The seemingly lightning-fast speed at which the nation’s elected leaders have been moving to reform health care has not been too fast for ASHP, President Kevin J. Colgan, M.A., FASHP said Monday during his presidential address.
"We recently sent staff members to the White House to meet with President Obama’s health care reform team," Colgan told a packed room. "While there, we focused on the role that pharmacists play in safe and effective medication use.
Presidential Mention
Health-system pharmacists rated a presidential reference Monday in Chicago.
President Obama, downtown while ASHP meets in Rosemont, told physicians that the nation needs to build on examples of outstanding medicine, such as Tallahassee Memorial Health Care`s multidisciplinary rounds "with everyone from physicians to pharmacists."
Obama made the remark at the annual meeting of the American Medical Association House of Delegates, which happens to coincide with the ASHP Summer Meeting.
"And we urged the administration to make sure that pharmacists’ patient care services are included in any plan that goes before Congress."
ASHP, Colgan said, wants legislation to
Mandate annual medication therapy review and assessment by a pharmacist for Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Part D, Add pharmacists as providers eligible for payment under Medicare Part B, and Restore Medicare funding for postgraduate year 2 pharmacy residency programs.
"We already know we`re having an impact," Colgan said, "because late last week, members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions released the `Affordable Health Choices Act.`"
The bill would create
Grants to implement pharmacist-provided medication therapy management services in the treatment of patients with chronic diseases, Grants to establish community health teams to provide the support necessary for local primary care providers to provide access to pharmacist-delivered medication therapy management services, including medication reconciliation, and A national health care work-force commission whose tasks include gathering information on pharmacist work-force supply and distribution; education and training capacities; needs of special populations; and implications of federal policies, including Medicare`s policy on funding graduate medical education.
The committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday to discuss the legislation.
"As you can imagine," Colgan said, "there are many interested and powerfully connected parties that are clamoring for a seat at the table of health care reform, including patients, payers, and providers.
"But we are working hard to ensure that pharmacists are heard, too."
