The Department of Health and Human Services published a bulletin outlining the requirements and procedures for eligible outpatient pharmacies to apply to receive a "directed payment" of $4.50 per managed care prescription filled. Pharmacies must complete the Directed Pharmacy Dispensing Payment Assurance Statement (DHS-8750) (PDF) and fax to 651-431-7462 by July 24, 2026, per Minnesota Statutes, 256B.69, subdivision 6i. MCOs will begin making payments to pharmacies as early as August 2026. The program, recently approved by CMS, is a result of legislation NACDS helped pass in 2025 to increase patient access to pharmacy services in rural and underserved areas.
Pharmacies must be enrolled with an MCO that contracts with the Department of Human Services. Refer to the MCO contacts for MHCP providers webpage for a list of MCOs.
Also in Minnesota, as the General Assembly wrapped up the 2026 Legislative Session last week, they sent the following NACDS priority bills to the Governor for enactment:
- SF 4612 Establishes a reimbursement floor of NADAC + $11.55, effective January 1, 2027, for all Medicaid managed care prescriptions. The rate is intended to serve as a safety net for pharmacies until the single PBM managed care pharmacy program is implemented in 2028. The payment is in addition to the CMS-approved pharmacy "directed payment program," which will also provide an additional $4.50 per managed care prescription payment to qualified pharmacies in medically underserved areas.
- HF 3825 Permits pharmacists to initiate, prescribe, dispense and administer drugs for the treatment of opioid use disorder. See lines 89.29, 94.18 and 96.3.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.