Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1495274
29 CMO / CARE DELIVERY 'Very concerning,' says AMA leader on pharmacists expanding their scope By Paige Twenter T he American Medical Association is tracking about 60 bills that seek to broaden pharmacists' scope of practice, and its senior attorney said the legislation is "very concerning for us." "Pharmacists play an important role as medication experts on the healthcare team, but they're not trained like a physician," Kimberly Horvath, JD, senior attorney with AMA's Advocacy Resource Center, said in an interview AMA published Feb. 2. "They don't attend medical school and they don't attain the clinical judgment to perform medical exams or diagnose patients." The medical association's argument against pharmacists having a larger role in healthcare hit an obstacle in mid- 2022 when the FDA allowed pharmacists to prescribe Paxlovid. In reply, AMA President Jack Resneck Jr., MD, said it is "far beyond a pharmacist's scope and training." Ms. Horvath said the bills AMA are monitoring include legislation that, if passed, "would allow pharmacists to prescribe medications to patients based solely on a test performed at the pharmacy," she said. "And this would include things like the flu, RSV, strep infections or urinary tract infections." n Mark Cuban's low-cost pharmacy to partner with independent pharmacists By Ashleigh Hollowell M ark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. announced that it is working on a new program to partner with independent pharmacists in an effort to increase access and affordability of prescription drugs. By partnering with independent pharmacists, the new program will be able to "serve patients more widely" and enhance customer service, a Feb. 11 tweet reads. The company's tweet directs independent pharmacists to a form indicating they are interested in learning more about the partnership with Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. and in bringing "transparent pricing to the masses near you" and attracting new patients. At this time, further details about how the program will work alongside independent pharmacists are not yet known. "We don't have anything to discuss publicly yet," Mr. Cuban told Becker's, but he did say the company plans to release further information sometime in March. n The health systems bucking the price transparency trend By Andrew Cass N early a quarter of hospitals reviewed by patientrightsadvocate. org are now compliant with federal price transparency rules, according to the agency's semi-annual report released Feb. 6. Of the 2,000 hospitals reviewed by the group, 489 (24.5 percent) are compliant, up from 319 (16 percent) in its August 2022 report. Among 20 of the largest health systems in the country, four had more than 50 percent of their reviewed hospitals in compliance with the rules, according to the report: 1. Advocate Health (Downers Grove, Ill., and Milwaukee): 84 percent (32 out of of 38 reviewed hospitals compliant) 2. Lifepoint Health (Brentwood, Tenn.): 73 percent (35 out of 48 reviewed hospitals compliant) 3. AdventHealth (Altamonte Springs, Fla.): 67 percent (28 out of 42 hospitals review compliant 4. CommonSpirit Health (Chicago): 58 percent (77 out of 132 reviewed hospitals compliant) e American Hospital Association has pushed back against price transparency compliance reports from groups other than CMS. e AHA has argued that these groups are ignoring CMS' guidance on aspects of the rule, such as how to fill in an individual negotiated rate when such a rate does not exist due to patient services being bundled and billed together. n