By Allison Cerra of drugstorenews.com

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Mar. 22) The advancement of a healthcare-reform bill on Sunday by the U.S. House of Representatives contains several pro-pharmacy provisions, two pharmacy groups said Monday.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists Association commended the advancement of a healthcare-reform bill that includes improvements to medication therapy management; scaling back cuts to Medicaid pharmacy reimbursement rates under the average manufacturer price (ensuring federal upper limits are set using a multiplier of "no less than" 175% --- much higher than the levels set under the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005); and exemption of pharmacies from durable medical equipment accreditation requirements. Additionally, other provisions in the bill included the requirement of limited disclosure from pharmacy benefit managers operating in the new exchanges to hold down costs.