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ALEXANDRIA, Va.  — More than 300 independent community pharmacists from across the country met in Washington, D.C., at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill Wednesday for the 2013 National Community Pharmacists Association Conference on Legislation and Government Affairs. The pharmacists conducted more than 500 meetings with congressional offices.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association last week called for the rejection of a proposal made by Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Mark Kirk, R.-Ill., to reschedule Vicodin and other hydrocodone-containing products from Schedule III to Schedule II of the Controlled Substances Act.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association on Friday submitted written comments urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to take action on a wide range of what NCPA characterizes as "anti-patient, anti-pharmacist practices," the association announced. 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A newly conducted study of millions of Medicare Part D prescription drug event data has found that community pharmacies provide 90-day medication supplies at lower cost than mail-order pharmacies and that local pharmacists substitute lower-cost generic drugs more often when compared with mail-order pharmacies.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association on Wednesday announced its federal and state legislative priorities with the release of the Independent Community Pharmacy Checklist. The one-page document details the main legislative actions NCPA and its members will advocate for this year at the federal and state levels. 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A survey of community pharmacists suggests that "preferred pharmacy" Medicare Part D drug benefit plans may pose challenges for seniors in rural communities. The finding comes shortly after similar questions were raised at the January public meeting of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, Congress' advisory board on Medicare issues, the National Community Pharmacists Association noted Thursday. 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Seniors have serious concerns regarding mandatory mail-order pharmacy requirements in prescription drug plans, according to a new national survey of 669 Medicare Part D beneficiaries released Thursday by the National Community Pharmacists Association.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association on Wednesday submitted comments to two congressional committees holding separate hearings examining the meningitis outbreak at the New England Compounding Center, including the the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, respectively.

 SAN DIEGO — The number of independents still is down from 2000, and margins of 2.9% represent the lowest in five years. However community pharmacists have proven resilient and helped reduce healthcare costs by dispensing a record high number of lower-cost generic drugs in 2011 and reported more frequent interaction with physicians to promote the appropriate use of generics, according to the 2012 NCPA Digest, sponsored by Cardinal Health.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Some common patient complaints regarding mail-order pharmacies and their captive consumers’ lack of choice to switch to another pharmacy if they encounter poor service are highlighted in a new video released Wednesday by the National Community Pharmacists Association.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Cardinal Health on Thursday kicked off its Retail Business Conference, the company’s annual trade show for independent pharmacies catering to more than 7,000 attendees.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Rural Health Association on Wednesday sent a letter to U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., strongly supporting the bill she introduced in March — H.R. 4215, the Medicare Pharmacy Transparency and Fair Auditing Act. The bill helps safeguard patient access to independent community pharmacists and addresses abusive pharmacy auditing practices, while allowing legitimate Medicare Part D anti-fraud oversight to continue.