NCPA: Go Easy on Accreditation Enforcement for Pharmacies

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists
Association has commended Sens. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Charles
Grassley, R-Iowa, for urging “administrative discretion” in
enforcement of DMEPOS accreditation for pharmacies, the deadline
for which was Jan. 1.

In a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Baucus,
chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Grassley, the
committee’s ranking member, said they were concerned beneficiaries
could lose access to equipment and supplies without such
“discretion.”

According to the Jan. 25 letter:

“Absent the use of administrative discretion in implementing
the accreditation requirement, Medicare beneficiaries could lose
access to diabetic test strips, canes, walkers, nebulizers, wound
care, and other vital medical products. Beneficiaries in rural and
underserved areas are particularly at risk for experiencing a
reduction in access to these medical supplies.

“We therefore respectfully request that you use discretion
in implementing the accreditation requirement for pharmacies in a
manner that preserves beneficiaries’ access to medical supplies and
equipment while Congress considers the best approach for addressing
this issue.”

In a statement on the Baucus-Grassley letter, Bruce Roberts,
NCPA executive vice president and CEO, said the senators “recognize
the DMEPOS accreditation requirement is onerous, expensive, and
duplicative for community pharmacies. Even those pharmacies that
completed this initial round of accreditation face another round in
a few years. Worst of all, the requirement singles out pharmacists
while exempting 17 other medical professionals.”

The deadline for DMEPOS providers to meet the accreditation
requirement was Oct. 1, 2009, but last fall, Congress extended the
deadline for pharmacies until Jan. 1. Provisions in both the House
and Senate health reform bills would permanently exempt certain
pharmacies from the requirement. In December, however, with no
health reform bill passed and the new deadline approaching, NCPA
requested that CMS delay it or go easy on its
enforcement.

In a late December memo, CMS said it would continue to process
accreditation determinations for pharmacies after Jan. 1.
Revocations for those not meeting the requirement would be
“prioritized based on any potential beneficiary access issues as
well as the agency’s workload,” according to the memo.