Journal article
Continuing effects of Medicare Part D on rural independent pharmacies who are the sole retail provider in their community
Research in social and administrative pharmacy, Vol.5(1), pp.17-30
2009
DOI: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2008.04.004
PMID: 19285286
Abstract
The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 established funding to allow Medicare beneficiaries to enroll in plans providing outpatient prescription drug coverage beginning in January 2006. The Medicare Part D program has changed the means by which beneficiaries purchase prescription drugs, impacting the business operations of pharmacies.
To describe the experiences of rural independently owned pharmacies that are the sole retail pharmacy in their community 1 year after implementation of Medicare Part D, in order to learn if the initial financial and administrative problems associated with the implementation of the program in 2006 resolved over time.
A semistructured interview protocol was used in telephone interviews with 51 pharmacist owners of rural sole community pharmacies in 27 states who were identified through a random sampling process.
The sole community pharmacists interviewed continue to face challenges directly related to Medicare Part D. Dealing with Part D plans and working with patients during enrollment periods remains administratively burdensome. Reimbursement amounts, complexity of dealing with multiple plans, and timeliness of payments continue to be cited as problems which could threaten the viability of independently owned pharmacies who are the sole retail providers in their communities.
Actions should be considered to help sole community pharmacies deal with the ongoing administrative and financial challenges of Part D. To ensure full choice for rural Medicare beneficiaries and full access to pharmaceuticals through the ongoing presence of a local pharmacy, the development of a mechanism to structure prescription reimbursement so that drug acquisition costs and related overhead are covered and a reasonable profit margin provided should be considered. Further study is needed to determine how existing policies and regulations can be modified to ensure reasonable access to pharmacy services for rural Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Continuing effects of Medicare Part D on rural independent pharmacies who are the sole retail provider in their community
- Creators
- Andrea Radford - North Carolina Rural Health Research & Policy Analysis Center, Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 725 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Campus Box 7590, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7590Michelle Mason - RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NEIndira Richardson - North Carolina Rural Health Research & Policy Analysis Center, Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 725 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Campus Box 7590, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7590Stephen Rutledge - North Carolina Rural Health Research & Policy Analysis Center, Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 725 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Campus Box 7590, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7590Stephanie Poley - North Carolina Rural Health Research & Policy Analysis Center, Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 725 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Campus Box 7590, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7590Keith Mueller - RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NERebecca Slifkin - North Carolina Rural Health Research & Policy Analysis Center, Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 725 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Campus Box 7590, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7590
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Research in social and administrative pharmacy, Vol.5(1), pp.17-30
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.sapharm.2008.04.004
- PMID
- 19285286
- ISSN
- 1551-7411
- eISSN
- 1934-8150
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 2009
- Academic Unit
- Health Management and Policy; Public Policy Center (Archive)
- Record Identifier
- 9984221634802771
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