AMCP opposes government regulation of drug pricing because of the potential for unintended consequences and supports the elimination of barriers to competition to bring down the high cost of prescription drugs.
AMCP Position Statements
See how AMCP advocates for you. Stay informed on the latest policy actions and position statements shaping legislation and pharmacy practice so you can understand what’s changing and why it matters for your work in managed care pharmacy.
Shaping Practice Standards in Managed Care Pharmacy
AMCP’s nearly 8,000 members work to improve the health of more than 200 million Americans through managed care pharmacy. Our Position Statements reflect AMCP’s stance on key professional and practice issues, guiding members in their roles and supporting advocacy with policymakers and stakeholders. Approved by the AMCP Board of Directors, these concise statements help define the responsibilities of managed care pharmacists, ensuring medications are used safely, effectively, and affordably.
AMCP encourages schools and colleges of pharmacy to ensure the provision of a balanced, general education, including information regarding emerging technologies and health care systems, to graduate educated and competent health care professionals.
The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) supports scientifically sound research that compares the effectiveness and value of prescription drugs, as well as research aimed at tailoring treatment options to individual patients’ needs.
AMCP supports the recognition of pharmacists as providers. When pharmacists are recognized as provider members of the health care team, patient outcomes improve, and patients report higher rates of satisfaction while overall health care costs are reduced. Recognized provider status would allow pharmacists to be reimbursed for providing health care services to patients. In a survey conducted in 2023 commissioned by Wolters Kluwer Health, 58% of Americans agreed that they are more likely to seek non-emergency medical care from a pharmacist.
AMCP supports increased access to Prescription Digital Therapeutics (PDTs). PDTs are software-based therapies that deliver clinical benefits to patients, either alone or in combination with other forms of treatment. These therapeutics require a prescription and are subject to oversight by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). To be approved by the FDA, PDTs must demonstrate both safety and efficacy.
AMCP opposes legislative proposals that would allow the commercial importation of prescription drugs for sale in the United States
AMCP supports a wide range of measures that strike a balance between market-oriented principles and prudent regulations. Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) help facilitate patient access to medication at an affordable price.
AMCP opposes attempts to erode the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and Medicare Part D preemption. AMCP believes that the certainty that comes with a single uniform federal standard ensures that plans subject to these laws are better able to provide access to needed medications regardless of where the patient lives or works.
The rebate system is an important lever for ensuring the affordability of prescription medications and health care premiums for Americans. AMCP supports the use of a rebate system as one of many levers to help to control drug costs.
AMCP encourages the use of generic drugs as safe, cost- effective alternatives to the equivalent brand-name products
Use of appropriate medication regimens, regardless of cost, may help to improve patients’ conditions, improve quality of life, and lower other health care costs.
AMCP urges policymakers and stakeholders to reject the criminalization of medication dispensing in favor of rigorous scientific standards used to determine the safest and most effective care for patients.
