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A New Provider Status Milestone: 103 Co-Sponsors!

Paul W. Abramowitz, Pharm.D., Sc.D. (Hon.), FASHP

I WANTED YOU TO KNOW that we have reached the critical milestone of 103 congressional co-sponsors of the provider status legislation, H.R. 4190. This is really incredible given that the bill was just introduced in March, and it speaks to the fact that members of Congress understand the roles pharmacists can and do play in caring for patients.

Further, it shows what thousands of members can do when they reach out to their elected officials to let them know what they are doing to improve patients’ lives, and how much more they could do if they were formally recognized as providers in the Social Security Act.

As I write this message, I am preparing to participate in a fundraiser that ASHP and a number of other pharmacy organizations are hosting for one of H.R. 4190’s congressional sponsors, Representative Todd Young. I plan to express to Mr. Young our continued appreciation for his leadership in support of provider status for pharmacists, and to let him know that ASHP stands behind he and his fellow co-sponsors in the November elections.

It’s been heartening to see both Democrats and Republicans coming together in equal numbers in support of this important legislation, and expressing their recognition of pharmacists as essential members of the patient care team. If your member of Congress is a co-sponsor of H.R. 4190, please use our advocacy center to send them a note of thanks and ask them to sign-on again in the new Congress.

Next week we will be taking over 125 ASHP members, including students, new practitioners, policy council members, Section and Forum leaders, Board members, staff, and others to Capitol Hill to spend the day advocating for provider status legislation. We will also be holding a virtual legislative day that will allow ASHP’s over 40,000 members to participate, and share their patient care stories and urge support for provider status legislation.

ASHP and the Patient Access to Pharmacists’ Care Coalition will also be running an advertisement in a prominent Capitol Hill publication thanking H.R. 4190’s original cosponsors, Reps. Young, G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) and Brett Guthrie (R-KY), and asking other members of Congress to sign on in support of the legislation. By the time the week ends we hope to have reached out to every member of Congress, which is perfect timing as they depart for their home states to finish campaigning for the November elections.

Speaking of members of Congress being home for the elections, this is the perfect time for you—their constituents—to contact them to tell your patient care story, and to ask them to support provider status legislation. ASHP has a whole host of resources on our website to help you with that outreach, and you can contact our government relations team anytime for personalized support. Also, if you haven’t done so already, please consider making a contribution to the ASHP-PAC. The PAC is a key tool to help support those members of Congress that support the vital patient care roles pharmacists play.

Thanks so much for everything you do to help bring provider status closer to reality for the patients you serve. I look forward to updating you again soon on our progress.

Best Regards,

Paul