APhA, in partnership with the Future of Pharmacy Care Coalition, supports new federal legislation (H.R. 7213), also known as the Equitable Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act (ECAPS), which would enable pharmacists and pharmacies to be eligible providers for Medicare beneficiaries for testing for COVID-19, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and strep throat; treatment of COVID-19, influenza, and strep throat; and vaccinations for COVID-19 and influenza.

Congress left Washington, D.C., on a two-week recess in their states without addressing the lapsed funding for the Health Resources & Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) COVID-19 Uninsured Program. The program stopped accepting claims for COVID-19 testing and treatment on March 22, 2022, and COVID-19 vaccinations on April 5, 2022.

Despite the lack of reimbursement under HRSA’s COVID-19 Uninsured Program, CDC has released a new FAQ for participants in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program stating their expectation that participating providers will continue to administer COVID-19 vaccines to the uninsured at no cost.

Pharmacists are important providers on the patient’s health care team and play a critical role in the use of medications for the treatment of acute, subacute, and chronic pain. Accordingly, APhA submitted comments on CDC’s proposed 2022 update to the 2016 opioid prescribing guideline.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), an independent congressional agency that advises the U.S. Congress on issues affecting the Medicare program began to delve into its treasure trove of information from pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) during a public meeting last week with initial findings to be published in its June report to Congress.