Yesterday, NCPA sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services detailing the results of a survey of NCPA member pharmacies on the effects the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program has had on them and their patients. The letter also asks CMS to expedite payments to independent pharmacies and provide greater detail on the calculation of Maximum Fair Price refunds for authorized generics, as well as manufacturer cash flow mitigation strategies for independent pharmacies.
The pharmacies surveyed included independent community pharmacies and LTC pharmacy owners. Results showed that most member pharmacy owners have had to wait 22 days or more to receive refunds from the manufacturer, with around a fifth of respondents saying it takes more than 28 days to get those refunds.
A majority of pharmacy owners are dipping into pharmacy savings because of delays in manufacturer refunds, with nearly four-fifths of respondents indicating that they are also having problems reconciling claims. Many owners also stated that they don't have all the information they need to reconcile Medicare Transaction Facilitator payments with the original prescription drug claim.
Read the letter here.
