Medicare data highlight extent of pharmacists' prescribing.

Abstract

Prescribing by pharmacists in 2014 accounted for $59 million in Medicare Part D medication costs spread over 392,708 claims, according to data released in August by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). According to CMS, more than 1 million healthcare providers collectively prescribed about $121 billion worth of prescription drugs, biologics, and supplies such as syringes that were paid for under Medicare Part D in 2014. That’s a 17% increase in payments compared with 2013, the agency stated. The CMS database for 2014 includes 3852 unique National Provider Identifier numbers denoting pharmacists who prescribed products paid for under Part D. Rhode Island and North Dakota were the only states with no pharmacist-prescribed medications in the database. Prescribing authority for pharmacists is generally managed through collaborative drug therapy management programs that permit pharmacists to initiate, modify, or discontinue medication therapy. Qualified pharmacists in all but three states—Alabama, Delaware, and South Carolina—have such prescribing authority, according to a review of state collaborative practice laws published in the September 15, 2016, issue of AJHP.