Bill Would Exempt Pharmacists from Surety Bond

WASHINGTON — On April 2, U.S. Reps. Zach Space, D-Ohio,
and Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo., introduced the
Preserve Patents Access to Reputable DMEPOS Providers Act of
2009 (H.R. 1970). The bill would exempt pharmacies from having
to post DMEPOS surety bonds.

“Community pharmacies want to continue providing their patients
access to life-saving supplies and related services — such as
diabetes testing strips — through participation in the DMEPOS
program. Unfortunately, CMS’ regulations require pharmacists to
purchase $50,000 surety bonds to guard against fraud where there is
no record of impropriety, while 14 other similarly-licensed medical
providers have been exempted,” Bruce T. Roberts, RPh, executive
director and CEO of the National Community Pharmacists
Association, said in a statement.

When added to the DMEPOS accreditation requirement, Roberts
continued, the costs “are out of proportion with the small
percentage that DMEPOS represents for independent community
pharmacies’ overall revenue. H.R. 1970 places the surety bond
payment burden where it belongs — on the backs of those who
run afoul of the program.”

In rural and urban areas, the NCPA said, “independent community
pharmacies are often the only health care provider that provides
access to health care supplies.”

Earlier this year, Reps. Marion Berry, D-Ark., and Jerry Moran,
R-Kan., introduced a bill that would exempt pharmacists from
Medicare’s accreditation requirement (see Bill
Would Exempt Pharmacists from Accreditation, HomeCare
Monday, Jan. 26).