Congresswoman Suzan DelBene Visits Long-Term Care Pharmacy
Redmond, WA –Congresswoman Suzan DelBene toured the long-term care (LTC) pharmacy facility Consonus Pharmacy today to see first-hand the differences between long-term care pharmacies vs. retail, online and mail-order counterparts. The event also included a meeting with Senior Care Pharmacy Coalition (SCPC) industry leaders to discuss policies relevant to the LTC pharmacy community.
“As someone who is committed to ensuring people have access to high quality, affordable health care, I was pleased to visit Consonus Pharmacy and see the important work they’re doing,” said Congresswoman DelBene. “The team is providing a critical service to long-term care patients, and I appreciated the opportunity to learn more about their efforts.”
“Our team appreciated the time Rep. DelBene took to visit our facility to see first-hand the quality pharmaceutical care we provide,” said Neil Marshall, President of Consonus Pharmacy. “We appreciate the Congresswoman’s interest in LTC issues and her concern for the thousands of patients we serve here in Washington as well as the millions of patients nationwide who depend on LTC pharmacies.”
“On behalf of all SCPC members, we appreciate Consonus hosting this event and furthering our efforts to educate lawmakers, like Congresswoman DelBene, about the unique needs and capabilities of long-term care pharmacies,” said Alan Rosenbloom, President and CEO of SCPC.
Unlike retail pharmacies, which are open to the public and sell a wide variety of products, LTC pharmacies are designed for large volume, efficient drug distribution in a highly specified manner. The requirements imposed on LTC pharmacies are significantly more stringent than those imposed on retail pharmacies, including intensive pharmacist involvement in medication and patient care management.
“I look forward to partnering with Congresswoman DelBene to help address many of the issues LTC pharmacies currently face,” concluded Rosenbloom, “chief among them the need to lower the cost of drug prices and provide a federal statutory definition of LTC pharmacies.”
####
The Senior Care Pharmacy Coalition (SCPC) is the only national organization exclusively representing the interests of LTC pharmacies. Its members operate in all 50 states and serve 825,000 patients daily in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities across the country. Visit seniorcarepharmacies.org to learn more.
Recent Posts
-
Rep. Beth Van Duyne: Congress can save seniors’ access to medications before it’s too late
Seniors in nursing homes across the country depend on round-the-clock care and medications, perhaps more than any other American patient population. In turn, the nursing homes and assisted living facilities that care for them depend on a small number of specialized long-term care (LTC) pharmacies to ensure their patients have access to the prescription meds they need.
-
Bill Aims to Offset Reimbursement Losses for Long-Term Care Pharmacies Catering to Nursing Homes
Starting in January, falling prices for costly drugs may strain long-term care pharmacies, but proposed legislation backed by advocacy groups aims to subsidize some of this loss. And nursing home advocacy groups are among those urging Congress to pass the Preserving Patient Access to Long-Term Care Pharmacies Act.
-
Drug pricing policy could jeopardize long-term care pharmacies, leaders contend
Senior living and care leaders have joined a coalition calling attention to a policy fix they say would address unintended consequences of Medicare Part D price negotiations that could shutter long-term care pharmacies.
Stay in the Know
Get the latest news and updates on issues impacting the long-term pharmacy community.