<p>The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a bulletin on June 2 announcing that it will not be implementing <a href="http://www.medicaid.gov/Medicaid-CHIP-Program-Information/By-Topics/Benefits/Prescription-Drugs/Federal-Upper-Limits.html">AMP-based Federal Upper Limits</a> (FULs) in July 2014, and that it will be working to finalize guidance on the implementation of the FULs. CMS stated that the guidance will stipulate what the transition period will be. </p>
<p>NACDS and a coalition of stakeholders, recognizing that the time between the issuance of the final rule and the implementation of AMP-based FULs would not give states sufficient time to effectively comply, approached CMS earlier this year urging the agency to implement a transition period.</p>
<p>NACDS then made the issue a priority during its annual <a href="https://www.nacds.org/Home/TabId/107/PostId/3886/pharmacists-increasing-role-in-delivery-of-healthcare-services-front-and-center-during-nacds-rximpact-day-on-capitol-hill.aspx">NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill</a> event in March, where pharmacy advocates participated in 400 congressional meetings and raised the issue with legislators and their staff members.</p>
<p>Following up on the in-person advocacy, a bipartisan group of 49 House members and nine Senators wrote <a href="https://www.nacds.org/pdfs/pr/2014/5_20_Senate_AMP_letter.pdf">letters</a> to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sibelius urging her to implement the transition period. NACDS Senior Vice President of Government Affairs & Public Policy Carol Kelly said, “It made a difference that the pharmacy community was expressing concern about Medicaid beneficiary access.”</p>
<p>CMS’ announcement generated significant media coverage, which NACDS facilitated. To date, articles have appeared in <em>BNA Bloomberg</em>, <em>Inside Health Policy</em> and <em>Congressional Quarterly Healthbeat</em>.</p>
<p>NACDS expressed its appreciation on CMS' announcement in a press <a href="https://www.nacds.org/Home/TabId/107/PostId/4982/nacds-expresses-appreciation-for-cms-announcement-on-amp-based-fuls.aspx">release </a>on June 2.</p>
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