Recognizing NACDS RxIMPACT Day

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the
Seventh Annual NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill. This is a special
day where we recognize pharmacy's contribution to the American
healthcare system. This year's event, organized by the National
Association of Chain Drug Stores, takes place on March 25-26. Nearly
400 individuals from the pharmacy community--including practicing
pharmacists, pharmacy school faculty and students, state pharmacy
leaders and pharmacy company executives--will visit Capitol Hill. They
will share their views with Congress about the importance of supporting
legislation that protects access to community and neighborhood
pharmacies and that utilizes pharmacists to improve the quality and
reduce the costs of providing healthcare.

Advocates from 45 states have travelled to Washington to talk about
the pharmacy community's contributions in over 40,000 community
pharmacies nationwide. These important healthcare providers are here to
educate Congress about the value of pharmacists and protect access to
the essential services they provide as part of our healthcare delivery
system. And just as these providers travelled to meet with us, Members
of Congress and their staff have toured retail chain pharmacies in our
own communities more than 325 times since 2009.

Patients have always relied on their local pharmacist to meet their
healthcare needs. The local pharmacist is a trusted, highly accessible
healthcare provider deeply committed to providing the highest quality
care in the most efficient manner possible.

As demand for healthcare services continues to grow, pharmacists have
expanded their role in healthcare delivery, partnering with physicians,
nurses and other healthcare providers to meet their patients' needs.
Innovative services provided by pharmacists do even more to improve
patient healthcare. Pharmacists are highly valued by those that rely on
them most--those in rural and underserved areas, as well as older
Americans, and those struggling to manage chronic diseases. Pharmacy
services improve patients' quality of life as well as healthcare
affordability. By helping patients take their medications effectively
and providing preventive services, pharmacists help avoid more costly
forms of care. Pharmacists also help patients identify strategies to
save money, such as through better understanding of their pharmacy
benefits, using generic medications, and obtaining 90-day supplies of
prescription drugs from local pharmacies.

Pharmacists are the nation's most accessible healthcare providers. In
many communities, especially in rural areas, the local pharmacist is a
patient's most direct link to healthcare. Eighty-nine percent of
Americans reside within a five-mile radius of a community pharmacy.
Pharmacists are one of our nation's most trusted healthcare
professionals. Utilizing their specialized education, pharmacists play
a major role in medication therapy management, disease-state
management, immunizations, healthcare screenings, and other healthcare
services designed to improve patient health and reduce overall
healthcare costs. Pharmacists are also expanding their role into new
models of care based on quality of services and outcomes, such as
accountable care organizations (AC0s) and medical homes.

Mr. Speaker, as we refine healthcare reform and seek new strategies
to improve patient care, pharmacists will play a critical role. I
believe Congress should look at every opportunity to make sure that
pharmacists are allowed to utilize their training to the fullest to
provide the services that can improve care and lower costs. In
recognition of the Seventh Annual NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill, I
would like to congratulate pharmacy leaders, pharmacists, students,
executives, and the entire pharmacy community represented by the
National Association of Chain Drug Stores, for their contributions to
the good health of the American people.

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