Charter

DoD/VA Federal Pharmacy Executive Steering Committee (FPESC)

1.  PURPOSE.   The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) have created the VA/DoD Federal Pharmacy Executive Steering Committee (FPESC).  The committee shall integrate and build on the strengths of each organization to improve management of pharmacy benefits for both VA and DoD beneficiaries.  The committee shall:

a.  Facilitate expand participation by the VA Pharmacy Benefits Management (PBM) Strategic Health Care Group and the DoD Pharmacoeconomic Center (PEC) to jointly evaluate high dollar and high volume pharmaceuticals.

b.  Oversee joint actions, such as joint agency contracts involving high dollar and high volume pharmaceuticals, which are designed to increase uniformity and improve the clinical and economic outcomes of drug therapy in the DoD and VA health systems.

c.  Eliminate unnecessary redundancies that exist in areas of class reviews, contracting prescribing guidelines, and utilization management.

 

2.  AUTHORITY.   The legal authors for the VA/DoD sharing agreements, of which the FPESC shall address, are 38 USC 8111 and 10 USC 1104.  All actions by the FPESC will be consistent with those authorities and other related requirements of the respective Departments.  The committee shall operate under the auspices and direction of the Under Secretary for Health, Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs).

3.  MEMBERSHIP.   The committee shall have two co-chairpersons (one from each Department and shall have additional members (not less than three and more than five) from each Department.  

The current committee membership shall be:

Chairperson, DoD Pharmacy Board of Directors (DoD)

(Co-Chairperson)

Chief Consultant for Pharmacy Benefits Management (VA)

(Co-Chairperson)

Director, Pharmaoeconomic Center (DoD)

Associate Chief of the PBM (VA)

Physician from Medical Advisory Panel (MAP) (VA)

Representative from the National Acquisitions Center (NAC) (VA)

Representative from the Defense Support Center, Philadelphia (DSCP) (DoD)

Physician Co-Chairperson, DoD P&T Committee (DoD)

Representative from Chief Financial Officer (Both DoD and VA)

4.  MEETINGS.  Meetings shall be held at the call of either Co-Chairperson, but no less than once each quarter.  The location of the meeting shall be alternated between the two Departments.

5.  DELIVERABLES. 

a.  Identification of drug classes suitable for joint contracting efforts.

b.  Review and validation of requests for proposals.

c.  Distribution of minutes of each meeting.

d.  Review and recommendations for sharing opportunities in pharmacy benefits management functions within the two Departments.

 

6.  SUBCOMMITTEES.  The committee shall have the authority to establish work groups to functions as subcommittees for the purpose of researching specific issues and making recommendations to the committee.  Such subcommittees shall include at lease one representative from each Department that is a member of this committee.

7.  DURATION OF COMMITTEE.  The VA/DoD Federal Pharmacy Executive Steering Committee (FPESC) charter is in effect for two years from the approval date noted below and may be extended by specific direction of the VA/DoD Executive Council.

Dated:  May 18, 1998