Published On: March 15, 2018407 words2.4 min readCategories: ArticleTags: , ,

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Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) met with NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill advocates and used Twitter to report on the visit, noting, “We had a productive conversation about ways to address the #opioidepidemic.” Many other legislators reported on their meetings with pharmacy advocates in their weekly newsletters to constituents.

Soon, NACDS will quantify the success of NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill in securing support on direct and indirect remuneration (DIR) fees, pharmacist provider status, opioid policy, and TRICARE. Until then, there is another measure of impact: legislators’ constituent newsletters and social media posts are positioning their meetings with pharmacy advocates as examples of their work on pressing issues—including the opioid abuse epidemic.

  • Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL) tweeted, “Today I had the honor of meeting with pharmacists from Jacksonville to discuss reforms that can be made to help combat the opioid crisis.”
  • Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) posted on Twitter, “Enjoyed my meeting with Rhode Island representatives from @NACDS today. We had a productive conversation about ways to address the #opioidepidemic.”
  • Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) tweeted, “Enjoyed meeting with #Florida pharmacists to discuss ways that we can expand medical services offered by pharmacies + increase access to care in our communities.”

In direct communications with constituents in their weekly email newsletters, lawmakers reported on the positive meetings they had with participants on improving patient health outcomes. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) wrote, “Pharmacists are an important part of our North Country healthcare system, and I enjoyed meeting with pharmacists from Kinney Drugs this week in Washington, D.C. Thank you for your dedication to your patients and your ideas for reducing the cost of prescription drugs.”

Representative Peter Roskam (R-IL) said, “Met with Walgreens to discuss Electronic Prescribing for Controlled Substances (EPCS) and the current opioid crisis.”

Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-KS) noted, “It was great to see constituents with the National Association of Chain Drug Stores in D.C. last week. We had a good meeting together about legislation that affects pharmacies in Kansas—like H.R. 592, the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act, a bill that I’m cosponsoring to help bring more access to medical care to rural areas in Kansas. We also discussed legislation to help modernize prescription writing and reduce fraud.”

Congratulations to the more than 450 pharmacy advocates from all 50 states who met with every Congressional office March 7-8, and whose impact already is being seen.