The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) announced that they are targeting the Medi-Cal pharmacy fee-for-service reimbursement rate changes to begin Saturday, February 23, meaning that DHCS will retroactively adjust impacted claims with dates of service between April 1, 2017 and the targeted February 23 date of implementation.
Also in California…On January 15, the online attestation portal opened for Medi-Cal fee-for-service pharmacy providers seeking the higher of two professional dispensing fees as part of the forthcoming reimbursement changes for covered outpatient drugs.
Also in California…On January 28, NACDS and the California Retailers Association submitted a joint letter to the Senate Business and Professions Committee in support of AB 149, legislation allowing for a staggered implementation of the new serialized number requirement. Under AB 149, serialized numbers on security forms for controlled substances would take effect no later than Wednesday, January 1, 2020. In addition, the measure would authorize dispensers to fill prescriptions written on otherwise valid forms that do not meet the new serialized number requirement until Friday, January 1, 2021.
Also in California…On January 7, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed an executive order that seeks to create a single purchaser for prescription drugs. Specifically, the order seeks to create negotiating leverage for prescription drug costs by moving all purchasing of high-cost, “high-priority” pharmaceuticals to one entity and, with respect to Medi-Cal, all pharmacy services to fee-for-service.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.