inthenews, Author at In The States

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So far inthenews has created 1086 blog entries.

Colorado

In advance of the Board of Pharmacy’s April 17 stakeholder meeting on proposed draft rules on perpetual inventory, NACDS provided detailed comments that the proposal is too broad.

Also in Colorado…HB 18-1279, legislation chain pharmacies support that would mandate e-prescribing, passed the House on April 17 by a close 33-30 vote. However, the bill failed to advance and died in the Senate State,Veterans and Military Affairs Committee on April 25.

Also in Colorado…On Friday, May 11, the Department of Health Care Financing and Policy will hold a hearing on a proposed rule that will increase the durable medical equipment (DME) encounter rate by 1.402%.

Also in Colorado…Working with our in-state partners, NACDS is opposing HB18-1538, legislation that would require pharmacies to post for the public each pharmacy’s drug prices promptly at the pharmacy and on the pharmacy’s website, including the date of the price change. The Board of Pharmacy is required to establish rules on price disclosures by pharmacies. Most concerning is that if the Board determines that a pharmacy does not comply with the requirements, this constitutes unprofessional conduct and the pharmacy/pharmacist may be subject to disciplinary action. The bill is scheduled to be heard on April 26 in the House Health, Insurance and Environment Committee.

Also in Colorado…Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) signed into law HB 18-1112, legislation requiring pharmacists be paid for healthcare services in professional shortage areas.

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

inthenews2018-04-27T16:28:43-04:00April 27, 2018|Colorado|

Georgia

As a reminder, effective January 1, 2018, every prescriber who maintains an active DEA certificate and prescribes controlled substances, except those holding a residency training permit, was required to complete at least three hours of AMA/AOA PRA Category 1 CME that is designed specifically to address controlled substance prescribing practices. Pharmacists are also encouraged to complete this online program to understand the new requirements and guidelines for controlled substances prescribing and chronic pain management. Additionally, pharmacists are expected to serve as a resource for prescribers and patients on these regulations and requirements.

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

inthenews2018-04-27T16:24:57-04:00April 27, 2018|Georgia|

Louisiana

Last week, the Department of Health (LDH) released a report on the economic impact of the Medicaid expansion, showing that the state has benefitted from Gov. John Bel Edward’s (D) Executive Order to bring more federal dollars to provide for the healthcare for the working poor.

Also in Louisiana…On April 16, Medicaid distributed a cost of dispensing survey to pharmacies so that they can update the professional dispensing fee. Completed surveys are due to Mercer by Friday, May 11.

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

inthenews2018-04-27T16:23:39-04:00April 27, 2018|Louisiana|

Nevada

On April 18, Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) convened the second meeting of his Opioid State Action Accountability Task Force. Numerous stakeholders, including the Board of Pharmacy, provided status reports on prescriber education and guidelines, treatment options and third-party payers, data collection and sharing and criminal justice investigations.

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

inthenews2018-04-27T16:22:20-04:00April 27, 2018|Nevada|

New Mexico

In advance of the April 19 Board of Pharmacy meeting, NACDS provided comments on proposed rules pointing out the inconsistencies on partial fill versus federal partial fill laws and rules and on proposed rules updating the timeframe for submitting corrections to dispensing information previously provided to the prescription monitoring program.

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

inthenews2018-04-27T16:20:43-04:00April 27, 2018|New Mexico|

Oklahoma

The Board of Pharmacy issued clarifications to licensed pharmacists on how to handle Schedule II controlled substances prescriptions when the entire quantity is not covered by insurance and the Drug Abuse Treatment Act-Waived Physicians.

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

inthenews2018-04-27T16:19:22-04:00April 27, 2018|Oklahoma|

Texas

The Health and Human Services Commission’s Vendor Drug Program (VDP) announced that effective Tuesday, May 15, the status of the antipsychotic clinical prior authorization will be optional. For more information, go to the VDP website’s Pharmacy Clinical Prior Authorization Assistance Chart.

Also in Texas…Effective Monday, April 30, the Vendor Drug Program (VDP) will no longer allow pharmacies to submit a code to override the prescriber enrollment denial in emergencies when the prescribing provider is not enrolled. Beginning Friday, April 30 and continuing until Friday, July 27, pharmacies should contact the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Pharmacy Benefits Access Help Desk at 1-800-435-4165 to obtain a manual override of the prescriber enrollment denial. The Help Desk will only override a denial one time per person per prescriber.

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

inthenews2018-04-27T16:17:16-04:00April 27, 2018|Texas|

Illinois

The state’s Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) adopted rules effective May 1 for individuals or organizations to take back and dispose medications. For more information, please contact Gabriel Neibergall, an IEPA attorney, at 217-782-5544.

Also in Illinois…The Department of Public Health (IDPH) launched its Opioid Data Dashboard, a website offering information about how opioids are affecting people in Illinois, including rates of opioid prescriptions by county. Additional information about efforts to curb abuse and misuse is available in the State of Illinois Opioid Action Plan.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Joel Kurzman at 847-905-0555.

inthenews2018-04-25T15:18:28-04:00April 19, 2018|Illinois|

Kentucky

HB 200, the state budget bill, was enacted on April 13 after the legislature overrode Gov. Matt Bevin’s (R) veto. The final budget includes language increasing Medicaid managed care dispensing fees by $12 million in 2018-2019.

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

inthenews2018-04-25T15:17:03-04:00April 19, 2018|Kentucky|