Promoting Community Healthcare Providers

Encouraging Diverse Settings of Care and Supporting Community Healthcare Provider

In communities across the country, pharmacists are often the first and most easily accessible healthcare providers. Americans depend on pharmacists to provide timely and reliable care and services. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that pharmacists are essential in providing healthcare and services for Americans, especially underrepresented and underserved populations and rural communities.

Providing Patient Access to Pharmacy Services

Today, pharmacists are providing a critical care lifeline to patients under a patchwork of federal and state policies that were put into place in response to the pandemic. But federal barriers undermine the ability of pharmacists to continue to meet patients where they are and the ability of patients to access healthcare in their communities, particularly during this pandemic that has overburdened our healthcare system.

Congress must act quickly to address current-law limitations and ensure patients can continue to access essential care and services provided by pharmacists, among the most trusted and accessible healthcare professionals on whom entire communities have come to rely.

McKesson and Health Mart are proud to be part of the Future of Pharmacy Care Coalition, advocating for federal policy solutions that recognize and advance the critical role pharmacists play to deliver essential care and services to America’s seniors.

Limiting Arbitrary Pharmacy Direct and Indirect Remuneration (DIR) Fees

In recent years, pharmacy Direct and Indirect Remuneration (DIR) fees have created significant challenges for pharmacists, making it more difficult for them to provide care to their patients. Arbitrary pharmacy DIR fees lack transparency and predictability, threatening the financial viability of pharmacies, increasing costs to the Medicare program, and resulting in higher beneficiary out-of-pocket costs at the point of sale.

McKesson supports regulatory and legislative changes to public policy that would limit the practices that are adversely affecting patients, pharmacists and the federal government.

McKesson advocates on behalf of community-based practices for the advancement of research, technology and patient safety and is focused on ensuring patients have access to the best possible care, close to home. Learn more about Specialty Practice Solutions and the public policy priorities impacting specialty providers.