Mr. Kuiper Goes to Washington: ASHP Member Takes NDC Concerns to Congress

1/16/2008

ASHP member Randy Kuiper made a personal plea for relief from the burdens caused by the new NDC reporting requirements during a visit to a staff member of the Senate Finance Committee this week.

Kuiper, with ASHP staff Joseph Hill and Justine Coffey, met with Senate Finance Committee staff member David Schwartz, who handles pharmacy issues for the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.). Mr. Kuiper, clinical coordinator at Benefis Healthcare in Great Falls, Mont., requested the meeting to discuss his ongoing concerns with the new CMS requirement for hospital outpatient pharmacy departments to collect and report the 11-digit NDC number for certain drugs.

Under the rule, which went into effect January 1 of this year, state Medicaid programs are required to collect the NDC numbers of certain hospital outpatient drugs for rebate purposes. As a result, many hospital pharmacy departments and state Medicaid programs are experiencing difficulties complying with the new requirement.

Kuiper outlined the difficulties involved in accurately collecting the information, the resource allocation necessary to comply with the rule, and pointed out that many state Medicaid programs, including Montana, have asked for and received a delay in implementing the requirement.

Get Involved!

ASHP members who live in states represented by members of the Senate Finance Committee have a unique opportunity to help their senators understand the implications of the NDC reporting requirement. Here's how:

Click here to see if your senator is a member of the Senate Finance Committee.
Gather statistics on the impact of the new rule in terms of dollars and time spent to comply. Also be prepared to share stories that demonstrate the impact the rule has had on patient safety.
Contact ASHPs Government Affairs Division to help arrange a meeting. Send an e-mail to Joseph Hill, director of federal legislative affairs, at jhill@ashp.org.

Schwartz noted Kuiper’s concerns and asked him to compile data on the cost to his hospital in terms of dollars and time spent to comply with the rule. Schwartz also emphasized the importance of pharmacists educating their representatives on the impact that this requirement will have on patient care. He encouraged ASHP members who reside in states represented on the Senate Finance Committee to reach out to their senators (see box).

Click here to see a chronology of the Society’s activities on the NDC issue.