The Board of Pharmacy opened registration for the August 27th Noon-1 PM “Lunch with the Inspector” CE webinar. Topics will include statute revisions from the 2026 legislative session and a presentation on the Missouri Pharmacy Well-Being Program.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
The Board of Pharmacy’s next meeting is in Reno on September 3 and 4.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
The Board of Pharmacy has issued the following information on pharmacist administered vaccines. Pharmacist authority to administer influenza vaccine is not tied to ACIP recommendations. Pharmacist authority to administer COVID vaccine is, but the October 2025 ACIP-issued and CDC-adopted recommendations concerning COVID-19 vaccinations have not been rescinded or modified. Accordingly, the Board’s statement issued in October concerning the Pharmacy Practice Act’s terms remains current. A more comprehensive detailing of pharmacists’ overall vaccination authority is available online. Pharmacists with questions about payment for these vaccinations through Medicaid or other state-payor programs should contact the Department of Health and Human Services.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
The Board of Pharmacy’s July 2026 newsletter includes articles on the importance of pharmacists counseling patients with open-ended questions and mandates updates for address or employment changes. It also lists the approved CareerTech schools, CE requirements and restrictions on CPR training.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
The Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB) posted its draft agenda for the August 19 meeting. Check the PDAB website for updates prior to the meeting.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) launched an investigation into the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) over concerns that the organization may be promoting and recommending childhood vaccines for financial gain.
Also in Texas, the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Health Professions Resource Center (HPRC) recently updated the Supply Table and Factsheets dashboards to include pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.
Also in Texas, the Board of Pharmacy’s July 2026 newsletter includes articles on shipping prescription drugs to a patient out of state and new CE tracking requirements.
Also in Texas, the next Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) Advisory Committee is meeting August 28 on Zoom.
Finally, in Texas, the DSHS Respiratory Virus Surveillance Report for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission was updated,
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
On August 1, Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) declared a State of Emergency due to wildfires, imposing a burn ban through September 30 and authorizing additional emergency resources. The declaration covers Chelan, Ferry, Okanogan, Spokane, Stevens and Yakima counties, as well as the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the Spokane Tribe of Indians.
Also in Washington, pharmacies must follow Washington’s emergency continuity-of-care rules, which allow pharmacists to dispense up to a 30-day emergency supply of noncontrolled medications, a 7-day emergency supply of Schedule III-V controlled substances and select one-time emergency refills when prescribers are unavailable. Apple Health (Medicaid) directs pharmacies to use existing emergency refill and medication replacement policies to ensure patients can access medications during wildfire disruptions and evacuations.
Finally in Washington, the Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission (PQAC) issued a reminder stating that “When the governor issues an emergency proclamation for an event which prevents continuity of health care for persons and animals because their prescribed medications are no longer available to them due to the emergency event, pharmacists and pharmacies may provide emergency prescription supplies for medications during the period of the proclaimed emergency” as provided in WAC 246-945-332.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) will soon begin revalidating pharmacy providers in accordance with federal regulations.
Enrolled pharmacies that have not submitted an application in the past year will soon receive a paper notice sent via USPS. If the provider has reported different service, pay-to and mailing addresses, a copy of the notice will be sent to each unique address. This notice will require the pharmacy to respond within 35 calendar days and confirm that they intend to continue participating in the Medi-Cal program. To facilitate the response, the notices will include a QR code that may be used to provide the confirmation. Failure to respond to the notice within 35 days will result in deactivation from the Medi-Cal program.
After completing this first step and confirming that they intend to continue to participate, providers will receive another paper notice with instructions for completing the next part of the revalidation process. This second step will include using the Provider Application and Validation for Enrollment (PAVE) system to complete a revalidation application. Providers will have 70 calendar days from the date of this notice to submit a complete revalidation application. Providers should not begin the application in PAVE before receiving the second notice – applications initiated before receiving the second notice will not be accepted.
In most cases, the revalidation will be separately completed for each location, and each location will receive unique notices and will require unique responses. Chain pharmacies will complete a slightly different process.
For more information, please contact Jenny Tudesko, Assistant Division Chief, Provider Enrollment Division, Department of Health Care Services
Also in California, attention: DHCS Town Hall Webinar on July 30 to Discuss Medi-Cal Provider Enrollment Requirements
The State Board of Pharmacy wishes to advise licensees and other stakeholders that DHCS will host a town hall webinar on July 30 to explain Ordering, Referring and Prescribing (ORP) enrollment requirements for claims across both pharmacy (Medi-Cal Rx) and medical (CA-MMIS) billing systems.
Federal law requires providers who order, refer or prescribe services for Medi-Cal members to be enrolled in Medi-Cal and identified on claims using a valid Type 1 (Individual) National Provider Identifier (NPI). The webinar will explain this requirement, clarify what prescribers and providers must do to achieve or stay in compliance, and gather questions from stakeholders.
ORP enrollment requirements may apply to you – Board licensees are encouraged to register and attend to learn more about these important changes.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
The Board of Pharmacy published the draft minutes from its June 4 meeting.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
