Position Statement: Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services (ECAPS) Act (H.R. 3164 / S. 2426)
SEMP Supports the ECAPS Act
Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services (H.R. 3164 / S. 2426) — closing Medicare coverage gaps for pharmacist test-to-treat and helping decompress crowded EDs.
Position Statement
For Immediate Release
Date: September 15, 2025
Reference: Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services (ECAPS) Act — H.R. 3164 / S. 2426
The Society of Emergency Medicine Pharmacists (SEMP) supports the Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services (ECAPS) Act (H.R. 3164/S. 2426). This bipartisan and bicameral policy would amend the Social Security Act to establish provisions for Medicare reimbursement for pharmacist test-to-treat services related to a limited list of specific respiratory illnesses. Initially fueled by unprecedented need in the early days and years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the then-emergency justification for pharmacist innovation has been made semi-permanent on a piecemeal basis with pharmacists in at least 47 states already doing this work pursuant to state-level legislation that enshrines the professional latitude into statute. However, with Medicare reimbursement adjudicated on a federal level, older adults who are beneficiaries of this program face coverage gaps and restricted access to healthcare services owing to the exclusion of pharmacists from the provider equation.
Establishing more robust community-based test-to-treat services can significantly improve the downstream care provided in the emergency department (ED). Patients often seek primary care services in the ED primarily due to access limitations. While health systems may attempt outreach strategies to encourage self-triage, these efforts are futile without comprehensive care options. Test-to-treat programs alleviate the cold/flu season bottleneck that perennially strains health system waiting rooms, thereby decompressing the ED. By promoting patient access to a broader pool of early illness detection services, pharmacists can help shorten time-to-therapy during respiratory surges — which now feature multiple peaks per year. Importantly, since the provisions of ECAPS are collaborative, the team-based model ensures treatment remains evidence-based and referral pathways are protocolized into the care model.
On behalf of the Society of Emergency Medicine Pharmacists (SEMP)
What SEMP Members Can Do Today
- Decide your method: Use your legislator’s online contact form (fastest) or mail a paper letter.
- Find your lawmakers:
- House: Find your Representative
- Senate: Find your Senators
- Locate the contact form: Click “Contact,” “Email,” or “Contact Me” on their official page. Enter your home address (constituent verification), then paste the template below and personalize 1–2 lines about your ED, hospital, or patients.
- If mailing a paper letter: Use these formats:
The Honorable [Full Name]
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510The Honorable [Full Name]You may also send to a local district office (listed on each Member’s website).
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515 - Target key committees (bonus impact):
- Maximize impact: Keep it concise, personalize with a local example, send to your Representative and both Senators, and forward any responses to SEMP leadership.
Copy-ready message to Congress
Subject: Please Support the ECAPS Act (H.R. 3164 / S. 2426)
Dear [Representative/Senator LAST NAME],
As a [emergency medicine pharmacist/healthcare professional] in [CITY, STATE], I urge you to support the Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services (ECAPS) Act (H.R. 3164 / S. 2426). Pharmacists in 47 states already provide test-to-treat services for influenza, strep, RSV, and COVID-19. Medicare beneficiaries face coverage gaps that delay access to timely care.
ECAPS preserves state-law collaboration, reduces emergency department crowding during respiratory surges, and shortens time-to-therapy for seniors—without expanding pharmacist scope of practice. Please co-sponsor and support ECAPS.
Sincerely,
[Your Name], [Credentials]
[Hospital/Organization]
[City, State]
For press/advocacy inquiries: info@empharmacists.org • empharmacists.org
Responses