The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) joined four patient groups in signing a letter to House and Senate leaders about the importance of including programs like MTM in any healthcare reform plan. Here’s the text of their letter:
The text of the letter follows to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH).
To the Bipartisan Congressional Leadership:
On behalf of millions of consumers, patients, healthcare providers and others, we are writing to urge you to include in any health reform legislation provisions that address chronic disease management through appropriate medication use. More than 133 million people, or almost half of all Americans, live with a chronic disease. Access to effective medications as well as services that promote medication adherence are essential in improving the health of these individuals. We urge Congress to recognize the role of healthcare providers such as pharmacists in chronic disease management.
Seventy percent of all deaths in the United States are attributed to chronic diseases. Many of these deaths and their associated costs are avoidable. Only 50 percent of patients with chronic diseases take their medications as prescribed, leading to unnecessary and often expensive complications. Failure of patients to properly take their medications accounts for approximately $290 billion annually in total direct and indirect healthcare costs. Investments in programs that foster adherence to appropriate and effective medication therapies will benefit both patients and the healthcare system.
Evidence shows significant improvement in the health status of patients with chronic diseases through pharmacist-provided medication therapy management (MTM) services. MTM includes services that are designed to promote appropriate medication use and reduce the risk of adverse events, which cost $47 billion annually due to hospital readmissions. MTM has also been shown to reduce utilization of more costly medical services such as emergency room visits and unnecessary physician visits.
Congress recognized the importance of medication adherence and appropriate medication use when it required Part D plans to offer MTM to Medicare Part D beneficiaries under the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA). However, additional action is needed to make this benefit more accessible and to realize the benefit’s full potential. Our organizations support H.R. 3108, the Medication Therapy Management Benefits Act of 2009, as one important step to address medication management for seniors with chronic diseases. H.R. 3108 would strengthen the Part D MTM benefit by improving current eligibility requirements and further targeting the benefit to certain dual-eligibles and those in transitions of care. In addition, H.R. 3108 takes important steps in standardizing the menu of MTM services Part D plans must offer. We also favor provisions included in the both the Senate HELP Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee health reform bills that provide for grants to establish community health teams to support a medical home model which would include MTM plus grants to implement medication management services in the treatment of chronic disease.
While our interests are diverse, we reach consensus on the importance of proper chronic disease management. Enhancing the Medicare Part D MTM benefit is an important step in improving the health of patients and reducing unnecessary costs. We look forward to working with you to address this important issue as part of health reform this year.
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