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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 21, 2020, 1:00 pm EDT |
Contact: John M. Clymer Executive Director 202-903-7303 |
More Patient Groups Appeal to Congress to Fix Glitch So Americans Have
Access to COVID and Flu Testing and Vaccinations
Patient groups urging action in next COVID bill represent 200 million Americans living with cancer, cardiovascular disease, HIV, mental health issues, liver disease, lupus and other conditions
Washington, D.C. – The effort to have enough access to testing and vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic gained added strength this week as nine more groups joined a coalition urging immediate Congressional action. The National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention and 32 other groups representing more than 200 million patients in every state are urging Congress to fix a glitch that prevents people from getting tested and vaccinated at their pharmacy.
Despite being authorized to order and administer COVID-19 and flu tests, pharmacists still have no reliable way to be paid for these services. This effectively excludes millions of Americans from ready access to testing programs that could be implemented by nearby and trusted pharmacists. Formally designating pharmacists as “providers” under Medicare will fix this problem – and prevent a similar problem that threatens vaccine deployment.
“This is one issue on which Americans are united across all ages, locations, races, genders, and income levels,” said John M. Clymer, Executive Director of the National Forum. “Right now, the country is way short of the number of vaccination sites it is going to need. Congress and the Trump Administration can fix this problem in the next COVID-in relief bill.”
“Over 90% of Americans live within five miles of a community pharmacy, making pharmacists the most widely accessible health care providers. Evidence suggests pharmacists have more opportunities to interact with patients in the community than other providers, however, if action is not taken, the country may not be able to leverage these critical access points to testing and immunizations,” the coalition wrote to the bipartisan Congressional leadership and to the Trump Administration.
Groups signing the letter represent more than 200 million Americans living with conditions that leave them particularly at risk to COVID-19 (new signers in italics):
Alliance for Aging Research
American Association of Heart Failure Nurses
American Kidney Fund
Association of Black Cardiologists
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
BallengeRx Consulting
California Chronic Care Coalition
Chronic Care Policy Alliance
Coborn’s Inc.
Diabetes Influencers Network
Global Liver Institute
HealthHIV
Healthy Women
International Cancer Advocacy Network
Lupus and Allied Diseases Association
Mended Hearts
Mended Little Hearts
Men’s Health Network
Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation
National Alliance on Mental Illness
National Association of Chronic Disease Directors
National Consumers League
National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention
National Lipid Association
National Rural Health Association
Nevada Chronic Care Collaborative
Partnership to Improve Patient Care
PharmaSmart International
Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association
RetireSafe
The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine
Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association
WomenHeart
“We urge Congress to fill the gap by recognizing the full potential of the pharmacist on the patient’s health care team and authorizing emergency pharmacist provider status under Medicare Part B to provide COVID and influenza testing and vaccinations. As the number of COVID-19 cases spike in certain communities across the country and the flu season approaches, the opportunity cannot be missed to ramp up patient access to testing and immunizations,” the Coalition urged.
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