Washington, DC – The National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the National Community Pharmacists Association, FMI – The Food Industry Association, the National Grocers Association, the American Pharmacists Association, the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy, and the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations issued the following statement today.

(March 1, 2024 – Washington, D.C.) As the Change Healthcare outage is now in its second week, the pharmacy community continues to be challenged and frustrated by the significant impact this has on pharmacies, pharmacy teams, and patients—from both an access to care and an economic perspective. Pharmacies are struggling or—in some cases—unable to process prescription claims, some have not received e-prescriptions for a full week, and many cannot process manufacturer patient assistance copay cards, which patients rely on.

WASHINGTON, DC — The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) and the Contraceptive Access Initiative (CAI) are delighted to announce progress on a path forward for increasing access to hormonal contraceptives at pharmacies. This follows the successful conclusion of the "Accessible Consumer Choices: Shaping the Future of Contraceptive Care at Pharmacies Summit," held at APhA Headquarters on February 28, 2024. 

By now, many of you are aware of a cyberattack that has affected Change Healthcare’s ability to communicate with pharmacies. Change Healthcare is a technology company used by many pharmacies; their technology helps pharmacies know how much to charge consumers at the pharmacy counter. As a result of this, many pharmacies throughout America could not transmit insurance claims for their patients.

Three months into the FDA-granted one-year stabilization period for drug supply chain stakeholders to comply with the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA), implementation by dispensers (i.e., pharmacies) is off to a slow start, but interest in implementing is high.