ASHP Pushes for Adequate Reimbursement for Outpatient Pharmacy Services
2/19/2009
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) should reimburse drugs dispensed in hospital outpatient pharmacies at the same rates as physicians’ offices, ASHP told an agency advisory panel this week.
Justine Coffey, J.D., LLM, director of ASHP federal regulatory affairs, joined a group of stakeholders to shed light on the impact that the current reimbursement structure has on pharmacy overhead costs for the Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) Advisory Panel. The group recommended that CMS reimburse separately-paid drugs at no less than average sales price plus six percent.
Coffey noted that the reimbursement for separately paid drugs does not adequately cover the cost for outpatient pharmacy departments to manage medications jeopardizing their ability to care for patients.
The group asked the panel to recommend that CMS create a pool to fund payment for pharmacy services and allocate the funds to a three-tiered system to set appropriate payments based on the level of pharmacy services provided.
Track progress on this issue online at www.ashp.org/advocacy.
Click here to read Coffey’s comments to the APC panel.
UPDATE: All of ASHP's recommendations to the Ambulatory Payment Classification advisory panel were accepted, and will be referred to CMS for further consideration. CMS will issue its proposed rule on the hospital outpatient prospective payment system later this year.
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