August 2021 Issue


Bipartisan bill seeks to shift patients from nursing homes to home health care

On July 29, 2021, Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) introduced legislation, S. 2562, the Choose Home Care Act of 2021, to provide Medicare beneficiaries with post-acute care, including daily living support, at home. The current Medicare benefit offers part-time nursing services, in-home therapies, social services, and medical supplies for 60 days. However, beneficiaries are not eligible for home health care if they need more than intermittent skilled nursing services. If enacted, the legislation would allow nursing home care-eligible patients the option to substitute home care after leaving the hospital and would cover a variety of services provided by a home health agency. Additionally, it creates an add-on payment for home health providers to cover services such as meals, transportation, and other extended care services, capped at 80 percent of the national median 30-day payment for extended care in a nursing facility. NCPA's LTC Division will continue to advocate for the explicit inclusion of medical-at-home pharmacy services in any legislation modifying or expanding home health care moving in Congress.



Big things are brewing for long-term care at the NCPA 2021 Annual Convention

Chronic care management for LTC pharmacies, medical at home announcements and opportunities, and getting new LTC business — You don't want to miss the LTC Business Summit, Oct. 9-10 during the NCPA 2021 Annual Convention (Oct. 9-12) in Charlotte, N.C. We are leveraging the disruption of the last 18 months to talk about new money-making and expense-saving opportunities for your pharmacy. Hotel rooms are filling up fast, so we encourage you to book now.

Come in a few days early to check out the popular The Business of Long-Term Care Workshop. It's everything you need to know to grow your business from a few to a few thousand beds. Separate registration fee applies.



Speaking of medical at home … catch the replay of the webinar online

If you missed the NCPA LTC Division webinar on medical at home, it's not too late. You can catch the replay and get caught up NCPA's LTC Division medical at home activities online on our resource center. NCPA's LTC Division pharmacist team, Ronna Hauser and Bri Morris, and pharmacy owners Ben McNabb, Brian Beach, and Ken Patel discussed the opportunity, the regulatory landscape, packaging considerations, and the workflow best practices for entering this sector. Thanks to RxSafe for their sponsorship of this webinar.



Premier and NCPA host briefing on Long-Term Care Pharmacy Definition Act

On July 29, 2021, NCPA's LTC Division joined Premier, SCPC, and ASCP in hosting a briefing with Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) on their legislation, S. 1574, the Long-Term Care Pharmacy Definition Act of 2021. The legislation establishes a statutory definition of LTC pharmacy to ensure continued patient access to essential medications and pharmacy services. This legislation addresses the issue of LTC pharmacies being unintentionally swept up in conflicting, confusing, and irrelevant policy proposals which threaten patient access to essential medications and related pharmacy services. If you wish to view the senators' opening remarks along with a broader discussion by a panel of invested stakeholders on why a definition for long-term care pharmacies is so important, you can do so here.



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