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SENIORS IN NURSING HOMES NEED
ACCESS TO A SPECIALIZED MEDICARE DRUG BENEFIT
The average resident of a skilled nursing facility
is more than 83 years old and needs from six to ten
different drugs at any one time – and sometimes
more. These residents are frail, unable to care for
themselves and need specialized pharmacy services unavailable
through the typical retail or mail-order drugstore.
As you consider important legislation to expand Medicare
to include prescription drug coverage, these seniors
deserve your attention.
Most of the approaches under consideration rely on
pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to deliver a drug benefit
to the Medicare population. While PBMs may be effective
in managing benefits for the ambulatory population,
none have the requisite experience, infrastructure or
expertise to manage the complexities of providing safe
and effective pharmacy care to the frail elderly who
reside in our nation’s nursing homes.
Long-term care pharmacies, on the other hand,
specialize in providing quality pharmacy care to nursing-home
residents. We provide
- round-the-clock deliveries, seven days a week and
in case of emergencies;
- specialized packaging that prevents medication
errors;
- clinical consultations to help physicians manage
complicated drug regimens;
- intravenous and infusion therapy services (not just
pills and capsules); and
- drug formularies designed specifically to meet
the complex pharmaceutical needs of the frail elderly
This standard of service reflects the needs of our
patients and the regulatory mandates placed upon the
nursing homes with whom we work, and goes well beyond
that currently provided by pharmacy benefit managers.
Before approving legislation to create a Medicare
prescription drug benefit, Congress must
- establish a pathway toward a drug benefit for the
institutionalized population that assures continued
access to specialized pharmacy care; and
- ensure that a drug benefit for the frail elderly
reimburses providers appropriately to maintain current
levels of quality pharmacy care.
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