(Washington, DC)—”We applaud the commitment of Secretary Leavitt and Administrator Weems to accomplish President Bush’s goal of broad physician adoption of Electronic Health Records by 2014.

“Although e-prescribing is the easiest, least expensive first step toward this goal, fewer than 10 percent of physicians have begun using it. That’s unfortunate since e-prescribing is the only part of health IT in which clear national standards have already been developed in Medicare.

“The surest path to meeting the President’s 2014 target is to begin requiring physicians to use e-prescribing in Medicare. This could prevent 1.9 million medication errors over the next decade and jump-start physician adoption of broader health IT.”

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PCMA is the national association representing America’s pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), which administer prescription drug plans for more than 210 million Americans with health coverage provided through Fortune 500 employers, health insurance plans, labor unions, and Medicare Part D.

Contact Information:
Charles Coté 202-207-3605

Initiative Would Improve Safety, Increase Savings

(Washington, DC)— Signaling continued momentum on the issue of electronic prescribing (e-prescribing), a broad coalition of consumer, union, business, purchaser groups, and other prescription drug stakeholders is calling on Congress to ensure that physicians use e-prescribing in Medicare by 2010. Currently, less than one-in-ten physicians use this technology.

In a letter to congressional committee leaders, the coalition called on policymakers to implement a safety requirement that e-prescribing be used for all Part D prescriptions. Requiring e-prescribing in Medicare could prevent 1.9 million adverse drug events over the next ten years and save billions, even after providing physicians with funds for equipment and training.

“This broad coalition wants Congress to make sure that seniors are protected from further preventable medication errors,” said PCMA President & CEO Mark Merritt.

Those who signed the letter to Chairmen Charles Rangel, John Dingell & Max Baucus and Ranking Members Jim McCrery, Joe Barton & Charles Grassley include:

Consumer/Labor Groups

· Consumers Union
· Families USA
· National Consumers League
· National Partnership for Women & Families
· SEIU
· AFL-CIO
· International Union, United Auto Workers

Business/Public Purchasers

· HR Policy Association
· The ERISA Industry Committee
· Aetna
· The Corporate Health Care Coalition (CHCC)
· The National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Pension Plans
· Kentucky Teachers’ Retirement System
· The Public Sector HealthCare Roundtable
· Pacific Business Group on Health

Prescription Drug Stakeholders

· Pharmaceutical Care Management Association
· National Association of Chain Drug Stores
· Walgreens
· RxHub
· The Coalition for a Competitive Pharmaceutical Market (CCPM)
· Apotex
· The Generic Pharmaceutical Association

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PCMA is the national association representing America’s pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), which administer prescription drug plans for more than 210 million Americans with health coverage provided through Fortune 500 employers, health insurance plans, labor unions, and Medicare Part D.

Contact Information:
Charles Coté 202-207-3605

(Washington, DC)—The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) released the following statement in response to a new report on Medicare Part D from the Majority Staff of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform:.

“The Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) was created to provide seniors and the disabled with safe, affordable drug benefit options. Since traditional fee-for-service Medicare had no prior experience in this field, the government looked to pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) because of their proven track record of expanding access to prescription drugs and lowering costs for more than 210 million Americans covered by employer, union and government plans.

“Thousands of payers—including the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) used by Member of Congress—rely upon proven PBM tools to manage prescription drug costs. These tools, which include rebates, generic drug utilization, and the mail-service pharmacy option, have reduced the rate of growth in prescription drug spending to its lowest level in over a decade, according to data released earlier this year from researchers at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

“In Part D, PBMs have worked hard to meet the justifiably high expectations of seniors and policymakers alike. While there is always room for improvement, PBMs are proud of their performance to date. PBMs and Part D sponsors have lowered costs 30 percent beneath government projections, offered lower premiums than expected, generated more generic utilization than Medicaid and provided more choice of drugs and pharmacies than the Veterans’ Administration program. Most importantly, America’s seniors are pleased with Part D’s performance.

“For the first time in Medicare, PBMs have introduced important new advances to improve safety, choice, and affordability in Part D. Specifically, Part D plans:

“Generating more generic utilization than Medicaid and more drug and pharmacy options than the VA, PBMs have helped bring to Medicare what millions of seniors previously enjoyed in private retirement programs: affordable, flexible and safe drug benefits.”

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PCMA is the national association representing America’s pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), which administer prescription drug plans for more than 210 million Americans with health coverage provided through Fortune 500 employers, health insurance plans, labor unions, and Medicare Part D.

State Sends Message to Presidential Hopefuls

(Washington, DC)—Signaling increased momentum on electronic prescribing (e-prescribing), the state of New Hampshire recently announced the launch of new programs designed to increase physician adoption of this technology. Currently, fewer than one-in-ten physicians take advantage of e-prescribing, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) said today.

“New Hampshire is the first primary state and this initiative sends a strong signal to presidential hopefuls that advancing physician adoption of e-prescribing is a priority for the people of New Hampshire,” said PCMA President & CEO Mark Merritt.

Merritt also noted that roughly 7,000 people a year die from medication errors and that e-prescribing is a big part of the solution because it provides physicians with patient medication histories, clinical decision support, and eliminates handwriting errors.

Governor John Lynch and his working group, the Citizens Health Initiative, have set the goal of 100 percent e-prescribing capability in the state by October 2008. Similarly, PCMA is leading the charge in Washington to ensure that physicians use e-prescribing in Medicare. A study from the Gorman Health Group found that requiring e-prescribing in Medicare could prevent up to 1.9 million medication errors and save the federal government billions over the next decade, even after providing physicians funds for equipment and training.

“America’s seniors are the greatest victims of medication errors and e-prescribing offers the best way to solve the problem,” added Merritt. “It is important that physicians use e-prescribing for their Medicare patients and receive the federal incentives they need to broaden adoption.”

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PCMA is the national association representing America’s pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), which administer prescription drug plans for more than 210 million Americans with health coverage provided through Fortune 500 employers, health insurance plans, labor unions, and Medicare Part D.

Contact Information:
Charles Coté 202-207-3605