In 2021, a potentially precedent-setting piece of legislation was introduced on Capitol Hill that included a provision to cover payment for clinical pharmacists delivering “pharmacogenetic consultations.”
H.R. 6000, known as “CURES 2.0” – introduced by Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) – was aimed at speeding up the delivery of groundbreaking, lifesaving cures; treatments; and innovations to those needing them the most. Cures 2.0 generated over 100 cosponsors on Capitol Hill, but despite ACCP’s continued advocacy, Congress ultimately failed to pass the bill into law.
In June 2024, Representative DeGette wrote to ACCP indicating her intention to reintroduce Cures 2.0, and she invited ACCP to submit recommendations on the draft proposal. Now we need your help.
Opportunities for Clinical Pharmacists
By directly calling for “clinical pharmacists” to be responsible for delivering pharmacogenetic consultations, Congress is deliberately recognizing the unique contributions of clinical pharmacists to the growing area of precision medicine. ACCP applauds this growing recognition on Capitol Hill of the unique value that qualified clinical pharmacists provide in advanced approaches to the treatment of complex conditions.
For this legislative proposal, the term pharmacogenetic consultation refers specifically to a consultation furnished to an individual with respect to a genetic or genomic test requested by a physician to provide advice and recommendations regarding the dosage, safety, and efficacy of particular drugs, biologicals, and other treatments on the basis of the individual’s pharmacogenetic result.
ACCP has already held meetings with staff members from the lead congressional offices to help these policymakers better understand the potential for pharmacogenetic testing to allow for precisely specified and delivered medical care on the basis of the unique characteristics of an individual patient’s genetic profile plus the patient’s lifestyle and environment.
ACCP works with a wide range of coalitions focused on legislative and regulatory reform initiatives that integrate team-based, value-driven, evidence-based approaches to achieving patient care outcomes. The pharmacogenetic consultation provision that could cover clinical pharmacists in certain Medicare payment structures, together with growing interest in comprehensive medication management at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, provides further evidence of the growing success of ACCP’s strategy to align the profession with high-profile, broadly endorsed, multi-stakeholder legislative efforts on Capitol Hill.
Working with its colleagues at the Colorado Pharmacists Society, ACCP is formally calling on leaders in Congress to include pharmacogenetic language in the Cures 2.0 legislative draft. If you would like to get more involved in this effort, contact ACCP’s Director of Government Affairs, John McGlew, at [email protected], or visit the Pharmacogenomics Payment and Policy Taskforce housed within GTMRx.