Nancy Alvarez (APhA Board of Trustees) and Patricia Epple (Executive Director, Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association) with Rep. Tim Holden (D-PA).

Florida Pharmacy Association Executive Director and CEO Michael Jackson and APhA President Ed Hamilton in front of the U.S. Capitol

On Tuesday, a group of 18 APhA Trustees, representatives, and state pharmacy association executives spent the day on Capitol Hill conducting what one executive director described as a "surgical strike." The group was selected based on their Senators' and Representatives' membership on key committees. We spent the day working with members of the Senate and House to assure that the key MTM provisions are secure as currently present in the Senate HELP proposal and the House Energy and Commerce proposal. We also worked on an AMP fix, DMEPOS Surety Bond relief, workforce support, and other key pharmacy issues.

This group of motivated folks volunteered their time to be here on behalf of all American pharmacists. For that I am grateful, as all readers of this blog should be. Also, I would like for you to commit to making contact with your own representatives STAT should we get word that any of our provisions are in trouble in the coming debate. We've made this plea in the past, and we may make it again in the future. Nothing is assured until legislation is passed. Of course, we will then gear up our work with CMS to assure that regulation is workable and in the best interests of our patients as the statute is operationalized through regulations.