AMCP Legislative/Regulatory Briefing
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In This Issue
Issue: # 12
AMCP NEWS
Dear AMCP Member,
OTHER NEWS
RESOURCES
CALENDAR
September/2011
Welcome to September's Legislative/Regulatory Briefing. We
hope that you find the information interesting and useful.
AMCP NEWS
AMCP Contacts
Lauren Fuller
Director
Legislative Affairs
[email protected]
Marissa Schlaifer
Director
Pharmacy Affairs
[email protected]
Tel: 800-827-2627
Web: www.amcp.org
AMCP provides input to Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
Institute (PCORI) on the working definition of "Patient-Centered
Outcomes Research" (Aug. 31, 2011): The Academy provided
comments to PCORI on its working definition of "patient-centered
outcomes research." AMCP indicated that the proposed definition
places too much emphasis on the patient as the end user, to the
exclusion of other stakeholders including clinicians and policymakers who are named in the statute. The fruits of PCORI-funded
outcomes research have the potential to provide invaluable
enlightenment to policy-makers as they seek to establish sound
public health policy. AMCP believes the basic definition should
reflect not only patients but also clinicians and policy-makers as
targeted end users. To read the PCORI document with the proposed
definition and AMCP's full comments, visit here.
AMCP joins 10 pharmacy and patient organizations in comments to
the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on the
Proposed Rule on Mental Health Centers (Aug. 12, 2011): In joint
comments on CMS's proposed rule, "Conditions of Participation for
Community Mental Health Centers," the organizations expressed
concern that pharmacists were not included as part of the
interdisciplinary team. Given the inclusion of comprehensive
medication assessments as an integral part of the proposed rule,
the letter argued that as medication experts, pharmacists serve as
vital partners with physicians, other members of the health care
team as well as patients, to ensure the safe and appropriate use of
medication. To view the full letter, click here.
AMCP responds to CMS's Proposed Rule on Medicare Claims Data
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AMCP Legislative/Regulatory Briefing
for Performance Measurement (Aug. 3, 2011): The Academy's
comments focus on CMS's efforts and abilities to balance access to
the data with protections for beneficiary privacy and commerciallysensitive plan data. The Academy supports the use of Part D data
for quality reporting with appropriate safeguards of patient,
provider and plan data. However, data with the potential to
undermine the competitive marketplace should not be shared
without thoroughly examining the need for such data to be
reported. To view the full letter, click here.
AMCP comments to Senate Aging Committee in response to
hearing on Medicare Part D prescription drug prices (Aug. 1, 2011):
There are more than 18,000 pharmacists working for health plans
and pharmacy benefit managers, AMCP told the Senate Aging
Committee in an Aug. 1 letter. These professionals ensure that the
plans they design provide individual patients with appropriate drugs
and drug therapies in a convenient, safe and cost-effective manner.
Furthermore, the pharmacists are committed to ensuring that
medications are used appropriately to improve a patient's health.
The letter also explained AMCP position on several highpriorityissues in which the Academy maintains established policy.
These are: Generic Exclusion Agreements, Federal Government
Negotiation of Prescription Drug Prices, Medicaid Rebates for Dual
Eligibles, and Regulation of Pharmacy Benefit Management
Companies. To read the full letter, click here.
AMCP has recently made available a reference document with
links to selected resources to help Academy members understand
Quality Bonus Payments and Star-Ratings (August 2011). CMS has
established the process for implementing the provisions contained
in the Accountable Care Act (ACA) to determine quality bonus
payments (QBP) for Medicare Advantage plans. This document
provides a compilation of related electronic resources for AMCP
members. The document includes sections for the general audience,
for the pharmacy team, and legislative and regulatory references.
The document is posted on the AMCP website in the Health Care
Reform Implementation section (members-only) at www.amcp.org.
AMCP Prepares for Lobby Days 2011: On Sept. 12 and 13, members
of the AMCP Board of Directors, Legislative Committee and
Legislative & Regulatory Action Committee will engage in more than
120 meetings on Capitol Hill. They will meet with members and staff
of the U.S. Congress to advocate for issues of importance to AMCP.
Specifically, they will focus their advocacy on issues of importance
to Academy members that are the subject of current legislation.
Watch for more about Lobby Days in upcoming AMCP news briefs.
OTHER NEWS
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AMCP Legislative/Regulatory Briefing
CMS is seeking members for a Technical Expert Panel (TEP): The
panel will provide input for the development of medication
measures for use in future hospital inpatient and hospital outpatient
quality improvement and reporting programs and maintenance of
measures in the ambulatory care setting. For more information and
to download the TEP nomination and disclosure form, click here.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Effective
Health Care (EHC) Program has released a draft report for
comment: Comparative Effectiveness and Safety of Pharmacological
Therapies for the Management of Crohn's Disease. The draft will
remain on the EHC Web site until Sept. 30. To view and comment on
this draft research report, please visit here.
The Kaiser Family Foundation issued a brief examining the
potential impact of the Budget Control Act of 2011 on the
Medicare program, health plans, providers and beneficiaries.The
Budget Control Act of 2011, signed into law on Aug. 2, establishes a
process to reduce federal budget deficits by $2.1 trillion over the
next 10 years. If Congress fails to act on the recommendations of a
newly created Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, the
Budget Control Act would impose across-the-board cuts across key
parts of the federal budget, including but not limited to Medicare.
Medicare reductions would be capped at 2 percent of Medicare
payments to medical providers and health plans. The brief analyzes
the range of Medicare changes that could be considered by the
committee as part of its package. To view the brief, click here.
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
(HELP) Focuses on Health Insurance Premiums and Empowering
States to Serve Consumers: On Aug. 2, the HELP Committee held a
hearing entitled "Health Reform and Health Insurance Premiums:
Empowering States to Serve Consumers." Sen. Diane Feinstein (DCA) testified in support of a bill to authorize the government to
review excessive health insurance rate increases. Another witness
maintained that a rate review would not impede rising costs. For
more information, visit here.
Members of the Joint Special Committee on Deficit Reduction are
Appointed: All 12 members were appointed to the Joint Special
Committee on Deficit Reduction (aka "Super Committee"). As a part
of the recently passed Budget Control Act, the bipartisan, bicameral
committee was tasked with finding at least $1.2 trillion in future
deficit reduction by Nov. 23, through savings that could include tax
revenues, discretionary spending, and entitlements (Medicare,
Medicaid and Social Security).
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AMCP Legislative/Regulatory Briefing
Speaker Boehner chose House Republican Conference Chairman Jeb
Hensarling (R-TX), House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Dave
Camp (R-MI), and House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman
Fred Upton (R-MI). Minority Leader Pelosi selected Assistant
Minority Leader Jim Clyburn (D-SC), Ranking Member of the Budget
Committee Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Vice Chairman of the
Democratic Caucus Xavier Becerra (D-CA). In the Senate, Majority
Leader Reid chose Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
Chairman Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Finance Committee
Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT), and Democratic Presidential
nominee Senator John Kerry (D-MA). Minority Leader McConnell
selected Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ), former Director of the
Office of Management and Budget Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), and
member of the Budget, Banking, Commerce Committee Senator Pat
Toomey (R-PA).
Mark Prater, Senate Finance lead on tax issues for the Republicans,
was named as chief of staff. He is considered bipartisan by those
who work with him, and his appointment raises the potential that
there will be a strong emphasis on tax issues in the negotiations.
If the committee fails to produce legislation that achieves $1.2
trillion or greater in savings, or Congress fails to adopt the
committee's recommendations by Dec. 23, automatic, across-theboard spending cuts would be triggered that impact most programs
except for Medicaid and Social Security. Regarding Medicare, the
savings under the trigger are limited to reductions in provider
payments only - there would be no increased cost to beneficiaries and those payments would not be reduced by more than 2 percent.
Potential issues of importance to AMCP that the Super Committee
may address include federal negotiation of prescription drug prices
and Medicaid rebates for dual eligibles. The Academy opposes both
proposals.
RESOURCES
AMCP's Federal Legislative Tracking Chart: The chart has been
updated for the 112th Congress. It is available on the Academy
website for members only. To view the chart, click here.
AMCP's State Legislative Tracking Service: To view the text of
a specific bill, click on its title. To view the bill's status, click on
status. To access the tracking service, click here.
AMCP's Health Care Reform Implementation Web
Page: Access here.
Health Care Reform Implementation Timeline: The Kaiser
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AMCP Legislative/Regulatory Briefing
Family Foundation resource tells when provisions of the health
reform law will be implemented. Click Implementation
Timeline.
CALENDAR
FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER): Approach
to Addressing Drug Shortage
When: Sep. 26
Where: FDA, Silver Spring, MD
What: The FDA will hold a public workshop on the approach of CDER
to addressing drug shortages. This public workshop is intended to
provide information for, and to gain additional insight from,
professional societies, patient advocates, industry, consumer
groups, health care professionals, researchers, and other interested
persons about the causes and impact of drug shortages, and
possible strategies for preventing or mitigating drug shortages.
Info:here.
Patient Medication Adherence
When: Sept. 26
Where: Washington, D.C., Capitol Hill
What: URAC will hold a briefing titled "Supporting Medication
Adherence: Ensuring Coordination, Quality and Outcomes."
Participants include: Robert Honigberg, URAC; Rebecca Burkholder,
National Consumers League; Thomas Hubbard, NEHI; and David
Nau, Pharmacy Quality Alliance
Info:www.urac.org.
About AMCP
The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) is a national
professional association of pharmacists and other health care
practitioners who serve society by the application of sound
medication management principles and strategies to improve health
care for all. The Academy's nearly 6,000 members develop and
provide a diversified range of clinical, educational and business
management services and strategies on behalf of the more than 200
million Americans covered by a managed care pharmacy
benefit. More news and information about AMCP can be obtained
on its website, at www.amcp.org. The Academy observed its 20 th
anniversary in 2009.
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AMCP Legislative/Regulatory Briefing
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