Healthcare Mandate

Healthcare mandate

Healthcare Mandate

On March 23, 2010 President Obama signed into law the ‘‘Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’’. Included in this legislation is a mandate for long term care providers to dispense Meds in short-cycle-fills (7Days or less); to be implemented by January 1, 2012. Excerpted below is the specific section addressing reducing med dispensing wastes in long term care facilities:

SEC. 3310. REDUCING WASTEFUL DISPENSING OF OUTPATIENT PRESCRIPTION DRUGS IN LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES UNDER PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLANS AND MA-PD PLANS.

(a) In General- Section 1860D-4(c) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-104(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

‘(3) REDUCING WASTEFUL DISPENSING OF OUTPATIENT PRESCRIPTION DRUGS IN LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES- The Secretary shall require PDP sponsors of prescription drug plans to utilize specific, uniform dispensing techniques, as determined by the Secretary, in consultation with relevant stakeholders (including representatives of nursing facilities, residents of nursing facilities, pharmacists, the pharmacy industry (including retail and long-term care pharmacy), prescription drug plans, MA-PD plans, and any other stakeholders the Secretary determines appropriate), such as weekly, daily, or automated dose dispensing, when dispensing covered part D drugs to enrollees who reside in a long-term care facility in order to reduce waste associated with 30-day fills.’.

(b) Effective Date- The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply to plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2012.

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