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So far Michael Silber has created 2722 blog entries.

Texas

The state legislature will convene its 140-day biennial session on January 10, 2023. Rep. Dade Phelan (R) was elected Speaker of the House. 

Also in Texas, the State Comptroller Glenn Hegar (R) announced on January 9 that the state has a $32.7 billion surplus.  

Also in Texas, the Health and Human Services Commission's (HHSC) Executive Commissioner Cecile Erwin Young announced that Dr. Jennifer Shuford would serve as Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), replacing Dr. John Hellerstedt. Previously Shuford served as chief state epidemiologist at DSHS. 

Finally in Texas, several bills of interest to pharmacies have been filed: 

  • HB 1105 by Rep. Four Price (R) would make permanent the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) authority that authorizes pharmacists to both order and administer routine immunizations for individuals three years of age and older.  
  • HB 1293 by Rep. Toni Rose (D), the Medicaid transparency reimbursement bill, would establish a rate floor for Medicaid MCOs. 
  • SB 160 by Sen. Charles Perry (R) would provide for pharmacists to furnish medications for flu, strep and COVID under a written protocol with additional training, if identified through a CLIA Waived test. Also, it would allow for a physician to dispense drugs for flu, step and COVID, if identified through a CLIA-waived test, and dispense all antibiotics and drugs authorized under an emergency rule. 

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

2023-01-13T11:55:37-05:00January 13, 2023|Texas|

Washington

The legislature convened on January 9, 2023. 

Also in Washington, legislation creating a new stand-alone chapter for regulating PBMs was filed this week. SB 5213 and HB 1253 were designed by the Office of the Insurance Commission (IOC) and the Washington State Pharmacy Association (WSPA) to regulate PBMs directly regardless of whether the contract is with a state-regulated plan or a self-funded plan. The bill prohibits requiring the use of mail-order pharmacies (except for specialty drugs), reimbursing pharmacies below costs and excluding pharmacies from the network. 

Also in Washington, the Washington State Pharmacy Association (WSPA) Legislative Days are January 25 and February 13. These events will allow all pharmacists, pharmacy students and pharmacy technicians from all practice settings to connect with legislators and colleagues across the state. 

Also in Washington, the Health Care Authority recently updated its provider billing guides and fee schedules for Apple Health (Medicaid). 

Finally in Washington, the Department of Health (DOH) is developing a campaign in 2023 to encourage families to catch up on immunizations. To accomplish this goal, DOH is surveying health care providers for guidance on what materials and resources are needed. 

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

2023-01-13T11:53:55-05:00January 13, 2023|Washington|

California

Last week, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) announced plans for the reinstatement of prior authorization and the retirement of the transition policy taking place in a series of phases… II, III and IV. A webpage has been developed for "Medi-Cal Rx Reinstatement" that includes information about the timeline, key days, announcements and alerts and resources. If you already receive Medi-Cal Rx alerts, you will also begin to receive Reinstatement alerts. There is no need to subscribe to an additional listserv according to DHCS staff. 

Also in California, the DHCS posted the following alerts and weekly notices on the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal. Please note the reinstatement resources in New Resources for Reinstatement Education and Support. 

Also in California, Medi-Cal posted the following:   

Finally in California, NACDS and the California Retailers Association (CRA) sent several joint letters to the Board of Pharmacy addressing issues of concern to members.  

  • With respect to e-prescribing requirements effective January 1, 2023, NACDS and CRA are seeking guidance from the Board about how members can comply with requirements to accept electronic prescriptions without advance notice from a vendor with whom they do not have a current business relationship.  
  • We are also seeking clarity from the Board via answers to a brief list of questions to provide members the appropriate guidance to aid their efforts to comply with a 2021 law related to pharmacy quotas; recall, this law only applies to companies operating 75 or more pharmacies in the state under one ownership.  
  • Finally, we are expressing concern with a proposal under consideration by the board to create a "staffing floor" that may lead to pharmacy closures if at least one clerk or pharmacy technician is not on staff and fully dedicated to performing pharmacy-related services while the pharmacy is open; this proposal would also permit the pharmacist on duty to close the pharmacy if, in their opinion, the staffing at the pharmacy is inadequate to safely fill or dispense prescriptions or provide services in a safe manner without fear of retaliation. We asked to work with the board on solutions so that pharmacies can remain open to their patients.

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

2022-12-16T10:35:24-05:00December 16, 2022|California|

Georgia

The Board of Pharmacy shared “Volume 4” of its newsletter. The newsletter is created on a quarterly basis and is intended to provide insights and updates on the profession of pharmacy in the state. The newsletters can be found on the GBOP website for easy access.

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

2022-12-16T10:31:46-05:00December 16, 2022|Georgia|

Iowa

The Board of Pharmacy adopted the following rules effective January 4, 2023:  

  • ARC 6685C has been adopted and amends Chapter 23, "Care Facility Pharmacy Practice." 
  • ARC 6686C has been adopted and amends Chapter 41, "Outsourcing Facilities." 
  • ARC 6687C has been adopted and amends Chapter 14, "Public Information and Inspection of Records." 
  • ARC 6688C has been adopted and amends Chapter 12, "Precursor Substances." 
  • ARC 6689C has been adopted and amends Chapter 10, "Controlled Substances." 

Also in Iowa, the Board of Pharmacy published ARC 6696C as a Notice of Intended Action to amend Chapter 3, "Pharmacy Technicians," Chapter 6, "General Pharmacy Practice," Chapter 8, "Universal Practice Standards," Chapter 18, "Centralized Prescription Filling and Processing," Chapter 21, "Electronic Data and Automated Systems in Pharmacy Practice," and Chapter 39, "Expanded Practice Standards." Comments may be submitted until 4:30 p.m. on December 20. 

Finally in Iowa, the Department of Health and Human Services, Iowa Medicaid published INFORMATIONAL LETTER NO. 2405-MC-FFS announcing January 2023 Iowa Medicaid Pharmacy Program Changes. 

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

2022-12-16T10:30:34-05:00December 16, 2022|Iowa|

Maryland

The Maryland Pharmacists Association (MPhA) is seeking nominations for two trustee Board positions for 2023-2024. Trustees serve a three-year term. Any active MPhA member in good standing is eligible for nomination and self-nomination is acceptable. Interested parties may submit their nominations online.

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

2022-12-16T10:28:58-05:00December 16, 2022|Maryland|
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