PharMerica Joins DC-Based Senior Care Pharmacy Coalition (SCPC) Citing Need for Effective, Focused Advocacy on Long Term Care (LTC) Pharmacy Issues

WASHINGTON, Aug. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Senior Care Pharmacy Coalition (SCPC), the only national organization dedicated exclusively to the highly-specific legislative and regulatory interests of America's growing and dynamic long term care (LTC) pharmacy sector and the patients they serve, today welcomed as a new member PharMerica Corporation (NYSE: PMC), a major national provider of LTC pharmacy services. LTC pharmacies provide consultative pharmacy services and medications to seniors in skilled nursing and residential care settings.

As a result of our overall growth, SCPC now represents LTC pharmacies that serve 45% of all patients in skilled nursing and assisted living – or about 675,000 patients every day.  These figures are up from 20% of all in LTC pharmacies and roughly 400,000 patients just a year ago. 

"LTC pharmacies' unique clinical and consultative offerings are increasingly important to the broader long term and post-acute care equation," said Greg Weishar, CEO of Louisville, KY-based PharMerica. "SCPC's specific focus on legislative and regulatory matters relevant to our growing sector – and their success in quickly establishing themselves as an effective advocacy organization in Washington – will be beneficial to our patients and our customers throughout the nation."

Michael G. Bronfein, Chairman of SCPC, welcomed the addition of PharMerica as a member: "PharMerica joining SCPC is a major development for our entire membership and the nation's LTC pharmacy sector at-large. Moreover, it is a clear signal that in just a few years we have successfully begun articulating to lawmakers, regulators and the media the unique challenges and problems LTC pharmacies face in a tumultuous business and public policy environment. We have focused on proposing real, bipartisan, research-based policy solutions – not just delineating problems."

Bronfein noted President Obama just signed into law the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), which contained a SCPC–sponsored provision exempting Medicare Part D beneficiaries in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and other LTC settings from an unnecessary medication management 'lock-in' provision otherwise applied to Medicare Part D beneficiaries.

The newly-enacted law specifically recognizes the additional requirements already imposed on LTC pharmacies under Medicare and Medicaid Requirements of Participation and Medicare Part D rules, and is the first federal statutory provision recognizing the unique differences between the LTC pharmacy sector and all other pharmacy providers. Stated Bronfein. "This is a major achievement for the SCPC, and beneficial to the nation's LTC pharmacies and our patient population."

In addition to CARA's LTC pharmacy lock-in exemption, Bronfein cited additional SCPC policy achievements including CMS finalizing a long-awaited rule prohibiting the use of prorated or daily dispensing fees (DDF) by Medicare Part D prescription drug plans and sponsoring two major Avalere research projects – a foundational educational tool for Congress detailing the major differences between LTC and retail pharmacies, and a separate Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) pricing analysis. The latter study has been used in congressional hearings and media coverage to bolster a research and data-based narrative that PBMs are not operating and fostering a true free market, as they claim.

The SCPC Chairman also credited SCPC with identifying the problems for LTC pharmacies posed by the FDA's proposed repackaging guidance, and effectively combining direct agency interactions with legislative advocacy – the only organization representing LTC pharmacies that has undertaken this dual track approach to the issue. 

Brian Kramer, President and CIO of Forum Extended Care Services, based in the Chicago area, and a leading regional LTC pharmacy in SCPC's membership, applauded the PharMerica announcement: "This will substantially enhance SCPC's advocacy capabilities and should benefit the entire LTC pharmacy sector." Scott Hancock, President of PROCARE Pharmacy, based in Vancouver, WA, stated, "I am confident PharMerica will blend seamlessly into SCPC's operations. As one of the SCPC's regional member companies, I am convinced that this step will benefit all LTC pharmacies -- regardless of size."  

Alan G. Rosenbloom, President & CEO of SCPC, added that as a result of this and other growth-oriented developments, "SCPC will be able to broaden our membership, boost our resources to better meet our strategic policy goals, and expand our geographic and political footprint – all of which are crucial to the continued effectiveness of our grassroots, federal advocacy and communications activities."

Concluded Rosenbloom, "Our long term public policy successes in Washington – and our members' long term success in the changing market environment – are predicated on SCPC's ongoing ability to be a credible, trusted voice on policy, and ensuring we have the capacity, resources, scale and bipartisan policy solutions that meet the needs of the LTC pharmacy sector and our patients."

Concluded Weishar, "PharMerica is in complete alignment with SCPC's strategic policy goals and objectives. We look forward to a lasting, effective, collaborative relationship with all of SCPC's members to help drive policy outcomes the LTC pharmacy sector needs in order to provide quality consultative care and services to our patients across America."

The SCPC is the national association for independent LTC pharmacies. Our member pharmacies provide care and services to patients in LTC facilities in across the country occupying approximately 675,000 beds across the country.  Visit us at www.seniorcarepharmacies.org to learn more. 

PharMerica Corporation is a leading provider of pharmacy services. PharMerica serves the long-term care, hospital pharmacy management services, specialty home infusion and oncology pharmacy markets. PharMerica operates 92 institutional pharmacies, 17 specialty home infusion pharmacies and 5 specialty oncology pharmacies in 45 states. PharMerica's customers are institutional healthcare providers, such as skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, hospitals, individuals receiving in-home care and patients with cancer.

SOURCE Senior Care Pharmacy Coalition

Related Links

http://www.seniorcarepharmacies.org