Last week, the Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners brought national pharmacy association leaders together to discuss how rapidly evolving federal and global policy developments are reshaping medication access, pharmacy practice models, and patient care. JCPP members discussed shared advocacy priorities and opportunities to collaborate on initiatives to help advance equitable access, affordability, and high-quality medication use. NCPA CEO Douglas Hoey and President Kristen Riddle participated in the meeting.
The meeting included keynotes from experts on policies affecting distribution and access. One of the sessions covered how the Inflation Reduction Act affects the health care system through drug price negotiations, rebates, and patient cost caps, and how those issues influence pharmacy operations, reimbursement, and patient access to medications.
Another keynote examined how foreign drug pricing policies affect patient and provider access through tools like international reference pricing, parallel importation, and government-negotiated purchasing frameworks used in other countries.
The third session addressed direct-to-consumer purchaser strategy policy and its implications for pharmacists' relationships with patients, payers, and manufacturers.
The final keynote covered the growth of digital pharmacies, including regulatory considerations and multistate operational challenges. It also identified collaboration opportunities for those companies and community pharmacies in dispensing, counseling, and follow-up care.
