Bill Would Exempt Community Pharmacists From CMS Durable Medical Equipment Accreditation Requirements

Main Category: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Also Included In: Pharmacy / Pharmacist;  Medical Devices / Diagnostics
Article Date: 28 Jan 2009 - 5:00 PDT

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Reps. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Marion Berry (D-Ark.) recently introduced a bill (HR 616) that would exempt community pharmacists from CMS accreditation requirements to sell durable medical equipment to Medicare beneficiaries, CQ HealthBeat reports. According to the lawmakers, the requirements add "unnecessary bureaucratic costs and [prevent] many pharmacists from being able to continue to provide vital equipment and supplies to their patients."

Pharmacy groups, such as the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the American Pharmacists Association, support the legislation. John Gans, executive vice president and CEO of APA, said, "Without this legislation, patients, particularly in rural areas, may have difficulty obtaining necessary medical equipment and access to pharmacist counseling" (CQ HealthBeat, 1/26).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

© 2009 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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