Washington, D.C. – The Alliance for Long-Term Care Pharmacy @ Home has introduced a new set of comprehensive guidelines aimed at enhancing the quality and consistency of LTC pharmacy services provided to patients in home-based settings. These standards are designed to align with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regulations that apply to long-term care (LTC) facility patients, ensuring those who receive care at home have access to the same high-quality pharmacy support.

The guidelines are available in two formats:

1) A detailed version integrating CMS regulations with recommendations from the Alliance.

2) A table-based format that outlines key requirements and their relevance to home-based LTC pharmacy services.

The standards cover essential areas, including:

• Medication inventory management

• Pharmacy operations & special packaging

• IV medication availability

• Pharmacist on-call services

• Emergency medication delivery protocols

According to Rebecca Snead, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives and Long-Term Care at the National Community Pharmacists Association, these guidelines are a major step toward ensuring patients who choose to receive long-term care at home receive the same level of pharmacy support as those in institutional settings. By establishing clear, standardized requirements, the Alliance aims to improve access, ensure consistency, and advocate for proper reimbursement of LTC pharmacy services for medically complex patients at home.

With the increasing demand for home-based healthcare, these guidelines serve as a framework for evaluating and improving pharmacy services outside traditional LTC facilities.

For full details, visit www.pharmacyathome.org/resources.