As California prepares for the start of the implementation of SB 212, which requires the pharmaceutical industry to form a stewardship organization and fund a drug take-back program, the California Product Stewardship Council (CPSC) provided stakeholders with an update on the safe disposal drug take-back bin (med bin) “infrastructure” that they have been building since they were awarded the grant in 2018. To find a med bin near you, visit www.takebackdrugs.org.

Also in California. Beginning on January 1, 2021, Medi-Cal pharmacy benefits will be transitioned to and administered through the fee-for-service delivery system for all Medi-Cal beneficiaries (generally referred to as “Medi-Cal Rx”). The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has partnered with Magellan Medicaid Administration, Inc. (Magellan) to provide a wide variety of administrative services and supports for Medi-Cal Rx. DHCS is providing critical information regarding the prescriber and pharmacy registration for the secure Medi-Cal Rx Provider Web Portal. This portal will be used to provide regular transitional monitoring supports to help ensure submitting providers and other interested entities will have all necessary information to support efforts related to a smooth and effective transition, including communications, training, and other pertinent resources. DHCS continues to make significant progress towards a successful transition of pharmacy services on January 1, 2021, to Medi-Cal Rx. Medi-Cal Rx transitioning pharmacy services from Medi-Cal managed care to fee-for-service will, among other things:

  • Standardize the Medi-Cal pharmacy benefit statewide, under one delivery system.
  • Improve access to pharmacy services with a pharmacy network that includes the vast majority of the state’s pharmacies and is generally more expansive than individual Medi-Cal managed care plan pharmacy networks.
  • Apply statewide utilization management protocols to all outpatient drugs, as appropriate.
  • Strengthen California’s ability to negotiate state supplemental drug rebates with drug manufacturers as the largest Medicaid program in the country with over 13 million beneficiaries. More information on the Medi-Cal Rx transition and the Provider Portal can be found here.

DHCS/Magellan has also launched the training registration application on the Medi-Cal Rx portal for Medi-Cal prescribers and pharmacies. For detailed registration and training instructions, access the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal and Training Registration or visit https://medi-calrx.dhcs.ca.gov/provider/ and click Register in the upper right-hand corner.

Also in California. A Medi-Cal Rx subscription service is now available, so pharmacies are encouraged to sign up and receive Medi-Cal Rx updates by email.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.