Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed SB 409, the Board of Pharmacy’s legislation that would permit pharmacists to perform a list of CLIA-waived tests, including SARS-CoV-2or other respiratory illness, condition or disease and strep throat, plus any additional tests approved by the Board of Pharmacy, in conjunction with the Medical Board of California and Laboratory Field Services.

Also in California, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has created a flyer to assist pharmacy providers to prepare for the Medi-Cal Rx implementation date of January 1, 2022. Note the inclusion of readiness survey; the results will be used to tailor training sessions to prepare providers for the transition to Medi-Cal Rx.

Also in California, NACDS and the California Retailers Association worked with Magellan and the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to schedule a webinar for chain pharmacies to hear first-hand from these entities about the important elements related to implementation of Medi-Cal Rx (start date of January 1, 2022). The webinar will be held on Wednesday, October 13 at 5:00 p.m. EDT, 4:00 p.m. CDT, 3:00 p.m. MDT and 2:00 p.m. PDT; T; for information to access the webinar, click here.  During the webinar, Magellan and DHCS will share information about portal registration, interacting with the new system and other key items. Please be prepared to ask questions. If your company would like to schedule its own training after October 13, please contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801 or sguckian@nacds.org, and we will connect you directly to Magellan and DHCS to schedule the training.

Finally in California, Ashkan Soltani will lead the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) as its Executive Director. He helped to shape the California Consumer Privacy Act and the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.