Bilirakis to Speak with Florida Pharmacists and Pharmacy Students

Congressman Gus Bilirakis, a Member of the Health Subcommittee in the U.S. House of Representatives and a proud Florida Gator, is headed to the University of Florida tomorrow to speak with Florida pharmacists and pharmacy students about the challenges they face, particularly in rural areas, as they work to meet the needs of patients. Bilirakis is a co-sponsor of the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act, which supports the inclusion of pharmacists on the list of recognized healthcare providers.

"I've been proud to co-sponsor this legislation each year since 2015, because I have long-recognized that pharmacists play a critical role in patient care, ensuring better equity, efficiency, and safety in our communities," says Bilirakis. "With a medical physician shortage across the country, pharmacists have stepped up to reduce barriers in access and timely care, providing many of the same services that physicians do.

Approximately, 77% of community pharmacies serve populations of 50,000 or fewer, providing critical services to our nation's medically underserved communities. Never was this more clear than during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when pharmacies played a crucial role in administering tests and vaccines. Despite the role they play, traditional Medicare does not recognize or reimburse pharmacists in the same manner that it does for the exact same services provided by physicians and even some non-physicians (such as P.A.'s and N.P.'s) – this policy limits Medicare patients from having access to certain healthcare services in a timely manner. The Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act is bipartisan legislation that would remedy this problem, allow pharmacists to be reimbursed for certain healthcare services under Medicare Part B in medically underserved areas. The bill does not expand the scope of practice for pharmacists, it simply allows reimbursement for the same level of care that they are already licensed to provide under state law, and consistent with Medicare reimbursement for other non-physician practitioners, pharmacist services would be reimbursed at 85% of the physician fee schedule.

"Advancing this legislation would be a huge step forward in providing better access to services such as point-of-care testing for infectious diseases, smoking cessation services, diabetes monitoring, and complex medication management for chronic diseases," Bilirakis adds. "In many rural and other underserved areas, pharmacists may be the only available practitioner in the vicinity that is able to provide these types of services, and states have started to recognize that in their Medicaid programs as well. It's time for Medicare to catch up with the realities occurring throughout the country and help our seniors have timely and efficient access to pharmacist services."