HDMA RECOGNIZES CONGRESSMAN ED WHITFIELD (R-KY.) WITH RX SAFETY AND HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP AWARD

Award Honors Public Officials That Advocate for a Safe and Efficient
Healthcare Supply Chain

Peyton Howell, President, Consulting Services, AmerisourceBergen Specialty Group; Rita Norton, Vice President, Government Affairs; AmerisourceBergen Corporation; Congressman Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.); and John M. Gray, President and CEO, HDMA.

ARLINGTON, Va., March 24, 2010 – The Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA) today honored Congressman Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) with its first Rx Safety and Healthcare Leadership Award. The award recognizes public officials for their leadership and commitment to public policies that support and promote the safe and efficient delivery of lifesaving medicines to patients nationwide.

Congressman Whitfield has a long history of working with Congressional leaders from both parties to promote policies that enhance healthcare supply chain security and efficiency. Most recently, his introduction of legislation (H.R. 1392) to clarify the treatment of prompt pay discounts in Medicare Part B program garnered the support of more than 70 co-sponsors in this session of Congress. This legislation corrects the current treatment of prompt pay discounts paid by manufacturers to distributors for products that are reimbursed by the Medicare Part B program. The legislation would enhance patient access to these medications and increase supply chain efficiencies that distributors provide to the healthcare system when servicing physicians who participate in the Part B program.   

“Congressman Whitfield deserves to receive the association’s first Rx Safety and Healthcare Leadership Award. He understands our industry and the essential role distributors play in saving the nation’s healthcare system $32 billion annually,” said HDMA President and CEO John M. Gray. “His work to ensure the proper treatment of prompt pay discounts in pharmaceutical reimbursement calculations used in Medicare and Medicaid will, if enacted, lead to more accessible, more affordable healthcare for countless Americans.”

“Distributors are a critical linchpin in our nation’s healthcare system,” said Congressman Whitfield. “Not only do they ensure the safe and efficient delivery of drugs to patients, but they provide tremendous savings to our healthcare system. As healthcare policy continues to be at the forefront of public debate, we must ensure our distributors can continue to provide important medications to patients across the country.”

HDMA presents the Rx Safety and Healthcare Leadership Award to federal and state public officials who:

• Introduce, support or author legislation, regulations or policies and champion technologies that further enhance supply chain security, patient safety, business efficiencies and defend the industry against policies that could compromise these or are otherwise harmful to the supply chain.
• Support fair and accurate reimbursement policies that ensure continuous patient access to life saving medicines at their pharmacy, physician’s office, hospital or other healthcare provider.
• Continually promote constructive discussion and ongoing collaboration between supply chain partners and government and endeavor to learn about the distribution industry through meetings, appearances, tours and other events.  

Further information is available on HDMA’s Web site. To learn more about the award, click here.

About HDMA
HDMA is the national association representing primary healthcare distributors, the vital link in the healthcare system. Each business day, HDMA member companies ensure that more than nine million prescription medicines and healthcare products are safely delivered to more than 165,000 pharmacies, hospitals, nursing homes, physician offices, clinics and others nationwide. HDMA and its members work daily to provide value and contain costs, saving the nation’s healthcare system an estimated $32 billion per year.