Erica Joyner – Page 25 – In The States

Oregon

The Board of Pharmacy adopted a temporary rule, effective November 19 through May 17, 2022, requiring pharmacies to post accurate hours. Accurate pharmacy operating hours must be available to patients and prescribers so they can seek alternate sources of prescription medication when a pharmacy is closed.

Also in Oregon, the Board of Pharmacy meeting will meet on December 8-9. The agenda has been posted and updated materials will be available on the board’s website.

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

Erica Joyner2021-12-03T09:24:47-05:00December 3, 2021|Oregon|

Pennsylvania

The Office of Medical Assistance Programs (OMAP) has issued a Bulletin with updates to the Statewide Preferred Drug List clarifying when an MCO can require prior authorization for certain drugs. The PACE Prescription Drug Program has also issued a Bulletin clarifying the claims submission code for “other coverage” claims. The Bulletin applies to all prescription programs administered by PACE.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.

Erica Joyner2021-12-03T09:23:38-05:00December 3, 2021|Pennsylvania|

South Carolina

The Department of Health and Environmental Control released a statement earlier today regarding the Omicron variant of COVID-19. DHEC is closely monitoring the variant and proactively preparing for any potential threats posed. See their full statement here, along with various resources and tracking data.

Also in South Carolina, the Centers for Medicare, and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced the enrollment application fee amount for calendar year 2022 will be $631. This fee is required with any applicable Healthy Connections Medicaid provider enrollment application. The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) will collect the application fee before executing a provider agreement. The fee applies to initial enrollment, reactivation, revalidation, or addition of a new practice location. SCDHHS has contracted with the SC.gov Enterprise Payment System to facilitate collection of the application fee. Payments may be made by debit, credit, or e-check. Paper checks will not be accepted. More information on payment options can be found by visiting www.scdhhs.gov/provider and selecting “Online Application Fee Payment.” The provider enrollment application fee is only applicable to providers CMS has identified as institutional providers. Providers who are enrolled in or have already paid the application fee to Medicare and/or another state’s Medicaid agency or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for the same enrollment location jurisdiction.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.

Erica Joyner2021-12-03T09:22:21-05:00December 3, 2021|South Carolina|

Tennessee

Applications for TPA executive officers, society leaders, and committee members are being accepted through Dec. 15. Volunteer or nominate a colleague to serve.

Also in Tennessee, the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) is required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to audit providers of COVID-19 vaccines. The Tennessee Pharmacists Association requested a checklist for those who have been selected for an audit, and one was prepared by TDH. Please review the checklist and the Routine and Emergency Vaccine Management Plan in their entirety.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.

Erica Joyner2021-12-03T09:21:08-05:00December 3, 2021|Tennessee|

Texas

The Board of Pharmacy proposed and adopted several rules at their November meeting.

Also in Texas, the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) revised the Medicaid preferred drug list effective December 3, 2021.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

Erica Joyner2021-12-03T09:19:49-05:00December 3, 2021|Texas|

Washington

The State Department of Health’s (DOH) December 7^th COVID-19 partner call the Health Care Authority and the Office of the Insurance Commissioner will present information on reimbursement for patient counseling on COVID-19 vaccines, and provider billing and reimbursement for COVID-19 vaccines.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

Erica Joyner2021-12-03T09:18:48-05:00December 3, 2021|Washington|

West Virginia

The Legislative Rule Making Committee will be considering the PBM rule as approved by the agency on December 8. You can link to the agenda here. NACDS is currently analyzing the rule and will follow up with members operating in the state via email. In the meantime, please share any concerns you may have with the rule with Jill McCormack as soon as possible.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.

Erica Joyner2021-12-03T09:17:02-05:00December 3, 2021|West Virginia|

Alabama

The Board of Pharmacy has been notified there is another scam whereby an individual is posing as Board staff. The caller identifies herself as “Linda” and claims she is an employee of the Board updating information from a data merge and following up from a letter that had been sent out previously. She first asks for the pharmacy address, the supervising pharmacist and the primary drug wholesaler. She also asks for the account number “for our wholesaler for recall purposes”. There is no one on staff named Linda, so if you receive a call from her, please know this is NOT a legitimate phone call. Please do not entertain this conversation. The Board is not involved with recalls from wholesalers, and any official communication that needs to be sent to you directly will be sent via mail. If you ever have a suspicion whether a phone call, email, fax or other form of communication is legitimate, we welcome you to call our office or send an email to a staff member. You can find our staff directory on our website under “Contact Us”.

Also in Alabama, as a reminder, effective January 1, 2020, all newly registered technicians are required to complete a Board-approved training program within six (6) months of registration. Failure of a technician to complete the required training within the specified time period may result in disciplinary action for the technician, as well as the supervising pharmacist and the permit holder. Any technician required to complete training that has not done so will not be able to renew their technician registration online. Renewal notices have been mailed to all facilities and technicians. Online renewals are now open. Please note that ALBOP will be processing renewals as timely as possible, but to ensure registrations and permits do not lapse, please submit renewals as early as possible.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.

Erica Joyner2021-10-28T17:11:34-04:00October 28, 2021|Alabama|

California

The Board of Pharmacy issued a reminder that the following Pharmacy Law Waivers will expire on October 31:

To request a site-specific waiver, use the guidelines posted at How to Request a Pharmacy Law Waiver under “COVID-19 Updates and Resources” on the Board’s website.

Also in California, last week, NACDS and the California Retailers Association sent a joint letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) requesting that California authorize pharmacy technicians to administer flu vaccines to adults in accordance the eighth amendment to the federal declaration under the Public Readiness and Emergency Act (PREP Act). We also shared the letter with the Department of Consumer Affairs and the Board of Pharmacy.

Also in California, the Board of Pharmacy published a Notice of Proposed Action to amend sections 1793.5 and 1793.6 and to add 1793.65 to Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations related to Pharmacy Technicians. Written comments on the proposed text are due December 6.

Also in California, this week, Magellan released this webinar Q&A as an additional resource for pharmacy providers. Other resources from the Medi-Cal Rx webinar held on October 13 include both the presentation and the audio recording are available. To access the recording, use this link and click on “↓ Download (3 files)” in the upper right corner of the webpage. If your company would like to schedule its own training, please contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801 or sguckian@nacds.org, and we will connect you directly to Magellan and the Department of Health Care Services to schedule the training.

Finally in California, the Department of Health Care Services issued a 60-day beneficiary letter to inform Medi-Cal members about Medi-Cal Rx, the transition of pharmacy services from Managed Medicaid to Fee-for-Service effective January 1, 2022.

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

Erica Joyner2021-10-28T17:10:34-04:00October 28, 2021|California|

About Erica Joyner