State Advocacy Wins
Last year, we continued to see the power of state-level advocacy. ASHP’s efforts, in partnership with state affiliates, resulted in new legislation that’s already driving change in our country.

In 2024, six more states passed laws aligned with ASHP’s model legislation to protect 340B contract pharmacy arrangements. Five states passed laws to prohibit insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) from reducing reimbursements to 340B-covered entities. These efforts are critical as we work to enable patient access to needed care supported by the 340B Drug Pricing Program.

Fourteen states also expanded scope of practice, allowing more pharmacists to provide services such as HIV pre-and post-exposure prophylaxis, immunizations, and medications for opioid use disorder. Three additional states passed laws requiring insurers to reimburse pharmacists for providing all covered services within their scope of practice. In total, 30 states now permit pharmacists to prescribe at least one medication, and 17 require Medicaid reimbursement of all or nearly all services within pharmacists’ scope of practice.

We are pleased that ASHP’s model laws assisted our state affiliates and grateful to these members for their dedication and advocacy to expand patient access to pharmacist care.

Federal Advocacy Progress
At the federal level, ASHP led several successful efforts on pharmacy residency funding, drug shortages, and site-neutral payment provisions in 2024.

In November, Congress introduced the bipartisan Rebuild America’s Health Care Schools Act of 2024 to protect critical federal funding for pharmacy and nursing residency programs. ASHP worked closely with Congress and a coalition of health systems and colleges of nursing to develop this legislation, and we will keep working to get it passed in 2025.

ASHP continued our longstanding advocacy supporting solutions to reduce drug shortages. When Hurricane Helene in September damaged the nation’s leading IV fluid manufacturing facility, ASHP worked closely with federal officials and other stakeholders to mitigate the resulting shortages. Earlier last year, the Department of Health and Human Services released a policy paper that incorporated many proposals from our most recent set of drug shortage recommendations, and the Senate is also developing legislation aligned with these recommendations.

We also remained steadfast in our advocacy for much-needed PBM reforms, which were a top issue for many in Congress last year. We were careful, however, to push for reform proposals that did not also include policies that would reduce Medicare reimbursement for administration of medications in hospital outpatient clinics, sometimes referred to as site-neutral payment. We believe such policies are detrimental to health-system pharmacy and our patients, and this year we will continue to make sure they are not included in PBM reforms.

2025 Advocacy Agenda
Our advocacy is anchored to an agenda that supports our mission of helping people achieve optimal health outcomes. As part of this work, we remain committed to advancing seven key priorities:

• Expand the scope of pharmacist-provided patient care services in acute and primary care settings
• Secure payment for pharmacist-provided patient care
• Advocate for solutions to pharmacy workforce challenges
• Promote the role of qualified pharmacy technicians
• Protect patient access to safe and affordable medications
• Address societal barriers to patient care
• Protect the sustainability of health-system pharmacy

We have already begun engaging the new Congress and administration on our efforts to carry out these priorities.

In the year ahead, we will push to further advance provider status legislation, the Equitable Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act, through key committees in Congress. That legislation was the result of our enduring advocacy and partnership with 190 pharmacy, health systems, and patient organizations.

We will devote significant time and effort to protect the 340B program and to pass legislation safeguarding and expanding pharmacy residency programs. We will also urge Congress to finalize PBM reforms that started last year while ensuring the legislation does not undermine medication administration services in hospital outpatient clinics.

At the state level, our state affiliates will continue to drive change by advancing policies that expand pharmacist scope of practice and reimbursement for pharmacist clinical services in their communities.

We are ready for the work ahead. Please explore the details of our 2025 advocacy agenda and join us in championing these critical initiatives.

Thank you for all you do for your patients and our profession.

Sincerely,

Paul

Posted on January 21, 2025