California

The Board of Pharmacy released its August 2026 News Roundup, the latest in its series of monthly updates covering regulatory and board developments.

Also in California, the Board of Pharmacy NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board proposed amendments to Title 16 CCR § 1749, related to Fee Schedules. Any person who wishes to comment on the proposed text may do so by submitting written comments beginning July 31 and ending on September 14 to the following:

Contact Person: Brianna Fujimoto
Agency Name: California State Board of Pharmacy
Address: 2720 Gateway Oaks Drive, Ste 100 Sacramento, CA 95833
Email: PharmacyRulemaking@dca.ca.gov
Fax: (916) 574-8618

Any responses to comments directly concerning the proposed addition of the text of the regulation will be considered and responded to in the Final Statement of Reasons.

All documents related to this regulatory action are available on the Board’s website.

Also in California, the Department of Health Care Services posted the following on the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal:

• Now Active: Prior Authorization Policy Updates, Effective August 3, 2026
• Update: Basaglar® (Insulin Glargine) Removal from the Medi-Cal Rx Contract Drugs List Postponed Until November 1, 2026
• Medi-Cal Rx Monthly Bulletin for August
• 30-Day Countdown: Prior Authorization Policy Updates, Effective September 1, 2026
• Important: Provider Enrollment Requirement Not Yet Active
• 30-Day Countdown: Updates to the Early Refill Policy
• Mass Adjustment for Vaccines Reimbursement for Members 19 Years of Age and Older for Impacted Claims with a Date of Service July 1, 2024, through September 30, 2024

Finally in California, as a follow-up to the July 30 Town Hall on provider enrollment, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) invites you to participate in a focused discussion on DHCS’ data-informed effort to ensure that providers who order, refer or prescribe are properly enrolled in Medi-Cal.

Details:

• Date: August 26, 2026

• Time: 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
• Link here.

Participants will:

• Receive an overview of provider enrollment requirements.

• Learn about mitigation efforts designed to reduce impacts on members, practitioners and billing providers.

• Hear the proposed approach and timeline for enforcement.

Stakeholder feedback gathered during this discussion will be used to finalize the enforcement timeline and strategic plan, which will be shared at the second Town Hall meeting in late September.

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