Critical New Resource Cuts Through Complexities in Prescription Drug Payment Systems -- AMCP Releases Analysis of Current Payment Methods.WASHINGTON -- The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP AMCP Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy AMCP Aeronautical Mobile Communications Panel AMCP Association of Managed Care Providers (now Association of Managed Care Dentists) AMCP Army Materiel Command Pamphlet AMCP Army Married Couples Program ) has released a one-of-a-kind resource that sheds light on the complex methodologies of prescription drug prescription drug Prescription medication Pharmacology An FDA-approved drug which must, by federal law or regulation, be dispensed only pursuant to a prescription–eg, finished dose form and active ingredients subject to the provisos of the Federal Food, Drug, payment systems. The Guide to Pharmaceutical Payment Methods provides an unbiased description and analysis of the multiple of methods used by many public and private sector programs to purchase pharmaceutical products and pay the providers who prescribe and dispense dispense /dis·pense/ (-pens´) to prepare medicines for and distribute them to their users. dis·pense v. To prepare and give out medicines. them. State and federal governments have and will continue to be making changes in public drug benefit programs, including Medicare and Medicaid Medicare and Medicaid U.S. government programs in effect since 1966. Medicare covers most people 65 or older and those with long-term disabilities. Part A, a hospital insurance plan, also pays for home health visits and hospice care. . It is clear that changes to public sector programs will eventually affect payment methods employed in the private sector. "Debate and discussion about problems within the U.S. health care system are abundant and will continue to escalate es·ca·late v. es·ca·lat·ed, es·ca·lat·ing, es·ca·lates v.tr. To increase, enlarge, or intensify: escalated the hostilities in the Persian Gulf. v.intr. as the presidential election year draws near," said Judith Cahill, executive director of AMCP. "There is great diversity in types of prescription drug payment methods and they can be very complicated. In the current policy climate, it's vital that decision makers, including legislators, regulators, stakeholders Stakeholders All parties that have an interest, financial or otherwise, in a firm-stockholders, creditors, bondholders, employees, customers, management, the community, and the government. and even interested consumers understand the significance of future prescription drug policy decisions. Our goal is for this Guide to help these interested parties to understand the way the system works as proposals to change current payment methods are debated." This unprecedented effort by AMCP to study drug payment methods currently used across the U.S. has resulted in an interactive web library and publication of the Guide to Pharmaceutical Payment Methods, released today. The Guide seeks to serve as an educational resource for understanding the terminology and interrelated in·ter·re·late tr. & intr.v. in·ter·re·lat·ed, in·ter·re·lat·ing, in·ter·re·lates To place in or come into mutual relationship. in structures of these payment methods; it is factual and does not advocate or propose specific recommendations. "We believe that by using managed care tools to carefully administer precious resources, we can ensure that more patients have access to prescription drugs," said Cahill. "We hope that policy-makers, decision-makers, health plan executives, and all other stakeholders involved in this arena will find the information useful as decisions are made and systems continues to evolve." To access the Guide and the interactive drug library, go to: www.amcp.org. The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) is a national professional association of pharmacists This is a list of notable pharmacists.
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