NCPA creates new division dedicated to LTC pharmacies, patients

The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) announced a new division of the association dedicated to advancing the interests of independent long-term-care (LTC) pharmacy providers.

“NCPA is recognized as the advocate for independent community pharmacies and their patients,” said Joseph H. Harmison, PD, NCPA president and pharmacy owner in Arlington, Texas. “We successfully fought for their interests on issues like scaling back major cuts in Medicaid generic drug reimbursement and ensuring prompt payment for retail pharmacies from Medicare Part D plans. Now, we’re enhancing our LTC efforts to provide focused advocacy for independent LTC pharmacies.”

To help realize the vision of NCPA’s LTC Division, the association has increased its capabilities by adding staff and providing resources that target legislative and regulatory issues faced by pharmacies servicing LTC facilities. The association hired Susan Janeczko, PharmD, as director of Long-Term Care Policy and Regulatory Affairs. Janeczko came to NCPA from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), where she was the lead clinician working on the Medicare.gov website.

Under Janeczko’s direction, the group plans to continue and expand recent LTC advocacy efforts, which include providing a community pharmacy perspective to CMS on the potential impact of proposed short-cycle dispensing rules and submitting recommendations to ensure the smooth implementation of e-prescribing rules in LTC settings.

In addition, the association is closely monitoring other matters affecting LTC pharmacies, such as Medicare Part B DME MAC (durable medical equipment Medicare administrative contractor) recoupment efforts, which seek to ensure that government actions to resolve pending financial matters find their intended targets (Medicare Advantage and home health agencies in this case) and not independent community pharmacies.

For more information and to sign up for regulatory and compliance updates and other benefits, interested pharmacists can visit the new LTC website, www.ncpaltc.org. During this initial “preview” period, access to the site will be unrestricted, but afterward only those who sign up as members of the NCPA LTC division will have access to the content and to NCPA experts.

Janeczko will be on hand at NCPA’s 112th Annual Convention and Trade Exposition in Philadelphia, Penn., October 23-27, 2010, to meet, greet, and assist independents in signing up for this new division.