Help to Advocate for Payment for Pharmacist Prescribing of Paxlovid

From American Pharmacists Association, published July 25, 2022: As you likely know, the FDA recently updated the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) that authorizes pharmacists to prescribe the oral antiviral, Paxlovid.

While updating the EUA was a huge step forward, there is no current federal policy providing coverage for the associated clinical services required for pharmacist prescribing, such as consultation to determine patient eligibility, assessing renal and hepatic function, obtaining a comprehensive list of medications (prescribed and non-prescribed), and assessing for potential drug interaction services. Absent coverage for the pharmacist’s time to conduct patient eligibility and appropriateness, FDA’s authorization will be for naught to reduce our nation’s health inequities in accessing this lifesaving medication. These services, which take roughly 15-30 minutes per patient, are reimbursed for every other prescriber, but not for pharmacists. It is inequitable, unfair, and unreasonable to think that these services can be provided for free by pharmacists.

Use this simple form to ask your Congressional Representative to contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to identify a payment pathway to reimburse pharmacists for their services required to prescribe Paxlovid.