Now Is the Time for Congress to Pass the ECAPS Act
Dear Colleagues,
One of ASHP’s top advocacy priorities is to help ensure access to the patient care services of pharmacists. As part of these efforts, ASHP and our coalition partners have strongly advocated for the 118th Congress to pass the Equitable Community Access to Pharmacist Services (ECAPS) Act. This legislation will require the Medicare program to reimburse pharmacists for outpatient testing, treatment, and vaccination services that are authorized under federal law and that are within a pharmacist’s state scope of practice.
The House (H.R. 1770) and Senate (S. 2477) versions of the act have strong bipartisan support, with 131 representatives and 24 senators cosponsoring the legislation through the end of July.
It is imperative for Congress to pass this legislation now, and ASHP needs your help to make it happen. We are asking our members to contact their congressional delegation during the August recess and urge them to swiftly pass the legislation when they return to Capitol Hill.
ASHP’s legislative alert includes a sample letter and suggestions about how to effectively communicate the importance of this legislation.
ASHP’s We’re Your Pharmacist national public awareness campaign highlights the essential roles hospital and health-system pharmacists have in patient care every day. We need to ensure that our legislators also hear these personal stories about how pharmacists improve patient care in their communities. Please consider sharing the We’re Your Pharmacist campaign with your legislators and tell them your own patient care stories that underscore the vital services pharmacists can continue to provide if the ECAPS Act is passed.
Patients need better access to pharmacists as vital members of the patient care team. The ECAPS Act will help accomplish this goal. ASHP will continue to advocate for this and other legislation at the state and federal level that improves the lives of the patients we serve.
Thank you for all you do for your patients and our profession.
Sincerely,
Paul
Posted on August 2, 2024