21 Senators urge CMS to adopt revisions to pharmacy DIR fees: U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) organized a letter expressing bipartisan support to CMS for its proposed approach to pharmacy DIR fees. NCPA staff led…
Month: January 2018
The Tax Cut & Your Pharmacy Business: What You Need to Know
NCPA consulted with and received permission from leading community pharmacy accounting firm Sykes & Company, P.A. to share its analysis of the recently enacted tax law. It features the example of a hypothetical pharmacy owner to illustrate how specific provisions…
OptumRx and UnitedHealthcare change coverage status of Tamiflu due to shortage of generic equivalent
OptumRx and UnitedHealthcare are now accepting the Brand Tamiflu for reimbursement due to the shortage of the generic product in the market. OptumRx and UnitedHealthcare are taking action to address current shortages in the supply of the generic anti-flu…
FDA, FTC warn companies for selling illegal, unapproved opioid cessation products using deceptive claims
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission today posted joint warning letters to the marketers and distributors of 12 opioid cessation products, for illegally marketing unapproved products with claims about their ability to help in the…
NCPA Advocacy Center Update – Week Ending January 19, 2018
HHS offers assurance on continued Medicare, Medicaid payments despite government shutdown: The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) published guidance hours ahead of the lapse in Congressional appropriations, saying that “the Medicare Program will continue largely without disruption,” “States…
4 Quick & Easy Ways to Boost Sales During Flu Season
Let patients know you care: Put a good tip list for flu survival on your website and share it on social media. Indicate that patients can pick up flu prevention & relief items at your pharmacy (create end-caps for each).…
Pennsylvania Makes Headway on MAC Pricing Debacle
The Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association took action after its members began seeing drastic cuts in MAC reimbursements in some Medicaid Managed Care plans starting in October. Now they’ve been told CVS/Caremark has committed to returning reimbursements to pre-October levels for the…
Aetna Better Health to Return to Pre-October Reimbursement Rates
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services informed PPA yesterday that CVS/Caremark intends to return its MAC pricing for Aetna Better Health MCO back to the levels that were in place prior to the atrocious cuts implemented in October 2017. You…
NCPA Advocacy Center Update – Week Ending January 12, 2018
Efforts to support key provisions of the CMS’ proposed Part D rule kicked into high gear with several developments, including: 120-stakeholder letter to CMS supporting the agency’s announced consideration to require application of retroactive pharmacy DIR fees instead into the…
FDA warns Becton Dickinson & Company of Significant Violations of the Law as Part of Ongoing Investigation into Lead Testing Issues
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued a warning letter to Becton Dickinson (BD) & Company that cited several violations of federal law, including marketing significantly modified versions of certain BD Vacutainer blood collection tubes without required FDA clearance…
Webinar: Best Practices for Shipping Pharmaceuticals to Your Patients
This webinar is being done by OptiFreight, who is one of our vendors. They are a part of Cardinal Health. Register at this link.
New Data: Pharmacy Owners’ Profits Fall As Industry Competition Rises
Time for my annual look at independent pharmacy owners’ business economics, drawn from the recently released 2017 National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) Digest, Sponsored by Cardinal Health. Here’s the press release: NCPA Releases 2017 Digest. Below, I review our latest…
Vitamins Make the Best Valentine’s Gifts
The right supplements can be the best gift for the heart. Choose supplements that you feel comfortable recommending to patients and prepare a “Valentine’s Gift to the Heart” display. Some possibilities include your favorite multivitamin, a CoQ10, fish oil with…
NCPA Advocacy Center Update – Week Ending January 5, 2018
Community pharmacy owners rank 2018 policy priorities: A recently concluded NCPA survey of independent community pharmacy owners identified their top policy issues for this year. In order of ranking, they are: 1) Eliminate retroactive pharmacy DIR fees; 2) Ensure MAC…
The Facts on America’s Opioid Epidemic
https://www.nytimes.com/video/health/policy/100000005515818/the-opioid-epidemic-what-you-need-to-know.html
Learn How to Start a Pharmacy Niche: Webinar Jan. 10
Discover how one of your peers combined her pharmacy’s excellent reputation, strong customer relationships, and clinical expertise with patient needs to form a thriving niche counseling patients in wellness. The NCPA Innovation Center’s Jan. 10 CE webinar will give you…
NCPA Advocacy Center Update – Week Ending December 22, 2017
Show your support for CMS’ Part D proposed rule: With the Jan. 16, 2018 deadline for comments approaching, NCPA continues to urge its members and allies to take grassroots action to back the measure. The proposal includes several NCPA-supported provisions,…
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