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So far Michael Silber has created 2529 blog entries.

Tennessee

TennCare has made updates to Obesity and Oncology drug management. GLP-1 prior authorizations will remain active for one year with no changes to the criteria for approval as of December 1, 2025. Initial claims for oncology products will no longer be for 14-days’ supply, but instead subject to plan limitations, quantity limits and prior authorization criteria taking effect January 1, 2026. For comprehensive, clinical criteria, please visit the TennCare/Optum Rx® website and scroll to find “PDL Criteria” under “Useful Links”. 

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

2026-01-15T07:28:39-05:00January 15, 2026|Tennessee|

Texas

Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced the appointment of Amanda Crawford as the new Insurance Commissioner, replacing Cassie Brown, who recently announced that she would be retiring on February 2. 

Also in Texas, House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R) requested that all House Committee chairs submit their interim charges by February 9. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) requested Senators provide their interim charge recommendations by February 20.  

Also in Texas, the Health and Human Service Commission's Vendor Drug Program (Medicaid) Policy team is hosting a quarterly Pharmacy Stakeholder meeting on January 21 at 9:00 am Central Time. Anyone interested in joining the calls needs to contact vdp-policy@hhs.texas.gov to preregister to receive the calendar invite and slide deck.  

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

2026-01-15T07:27:54-05:00January 15, 2026|Texas|

Vermont

This week, the Board of Pharmacy emailed the following to all state-licensed pharmacies. The revised Vermont Pharmacy Administrative Rules were recently approved and become effective February 1. The Office of Professional Regulation's outreach regarding key changes and details is forthcoming and will include timelines for compliance-readiness with certain, significant licensing-related and other changes. Please see Rule 4-3(b)(3) (page 11), regarding pharmacy technician training program completion. If your pharmacy provides employer-based training, please send it to Carrie Phillips for review and approval, ahead of February 1. Please see Rule 4-4 for the standards that such programs must include. If you have questions, please contact Carrie Phillips, Executive Officer, via email (carrie.phillips@vermont.gov) or by phone at 802-828-5032.  

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

2026-01-15T07:28:08-05:00January 15, 2026|Vermont|

Washington

The legislature convened a short session on January 12 and will adjourn on March 12. 

Also in Washington, pharmacies' priority legislation granting pharmacists independent authority was pre-filed in both chambers. SB 5924 by Senators Vandana Slatter (D) and Shelly Short (R) and, the companion bill, HB 2302, filed by Representatives My-Linh Thai (D) and Nicole Macri (D). 

Also in Washington, Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) and Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer (D), a friend of pharmacies, jointly requested that the legislature give state agencies decision-making authority over vaccines and preventive services. SB 5967/HB 2242 allows the Department of Health (DOH) to propose vaccine recommendations based on medical and scientific expertise and evidence, without relying solely on recommendations from federal committees. The bill will ensure that children and adults in the state have access to vaccines grounded in science, based on safety and efficacy. The bill also preserves health plan coverage for DOH-recommended vaccines and freezes coverage for federal preventive services recommendations. This bill does not establish new vaccine mandates or change any laws related to consent for immunizations. Public hearings were scheduled in the Senate Committee on Health & Long-Term Care on January 15 and in the House Committee on Health Care & Wellness on January 16. 

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

2026-01-15T07:26:58-05:00January 15, 2026|Washington|

Alabama

Medicaid issued an Alert announcing, effective October 1, Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) were covered through the Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Program with prior authorization (PA) for recipients (children and adults) with one of the following: 

  • type 1 diabetes mellitus 
  • type 2 diabetes mellitus and are insulin treated with multiple (three or more) daily injections of insulin 

 

NOTE: CGMs are not covered through the pharmacy benefit; requests must be submitted by a DME-enrolled provider with an active National Provider Identifier (NPI). 

Also in Alabama, the Board of Pharmacy technician registrations expire December 31. The Board is accepting pharmacy technician renewals online at www.albop.com. Please don't wait until the last minute to renew.  

Important information for technicians and their employers: If you are completing the Alabama Pharmacy Association (APA) Pharmacy Technician Training or employing a technician completing the program, please take note. With the upcoming holidays, please be aware of the following important dates and plan accordingly. 

The APA office will be closed on Christmas Eve through January 1, 2026. If you complete the program after December 22, you may not receive a certificate of completion until January 5, 2026. If you need to complete the training before you renew your license, please do so before December 22. 

APA will email certificates of completion on the following dates in December: 

  • Monday, December 1 
  • Monday, December 8 
  • Monday, December 15 
  • Monday, December 22 

 

Please contact the APA office if you have any questions. 

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

2025-11-20T10:07:02-05:00November 20, 2025|Alabama|

Alaska

The Board of Pharmacy posted the meeting materials for its quarterly teleconference meeting held on November 20. Included on the agenda were updates from industry on pending pharmacist prescriptive authority legislation, SB 147 and HB 195.

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

2025-11-20T10:06:22-05:00November 20, 2025|Alaska|

California

The Department of Health Care Service posted the following on the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal. Please note the update on GLP-1 coverage effective January 1, 2026; see details below in the alert. 

Also in California, as part of the Board's actions during the November 5-6 Board Meeting, the Board approved a policy statement related to the transition to a Standard of Care Practice Model for some pharmacist-provided health care services. Specifically, under provisions of Assembly Bill (AB) 1503 (Berman, Chapter 196, Statutes of 2025), certain pharmacist-provided patient care services are transitioning to a standard of care practice model. 

Finally in California, the Board of Pharmacy approved a policy statement related to the role of the Pharmacist-in-Charge (PIC). Specifically, under AB 1503, new provisions reinforce the decision-making autonomy of the PIC related to staffing decisions. 

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

2025-11-20T10:05:04-05:00November 20, 2025|California|

Colorado

Facing a $850M budget deficit, Gov. Jaris Polis (D) proposed cuts to the Medicaid professional dispensing fee (PDF) for pharmacies. For fiscal year 2025-2026, the Health Care Financing and Policy (HCFP) will cut the tiered fee by $85,000 and propose a $506,000 reduction for 2026-2027. Reimbursements for high-volume pharmacies will drop from $10.25 to $9.93 and from $9.31 to $8.72. 

Also in Colorado, a Rural Health Transformation Program Webinar for all stakeholders will be held from 10:00 am – 11:30 am Mountain Time on December 2. 

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

2025-11-20T10:04:31-05:00November 20, 2025|Colorado|
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