The Department of Human Services, Iowa Medicaid Enterprise issued Informational Letter No. 2225-MC-FFS-CVD announcing the $40 administration rate per COVID-19 vaccine dose is effective April 1, 2021. This is $80 total for a two-dose series and $40 for a single-dose vaccine.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
HB 48, a bill that requires commercial insurances and the state employee health plan to pay pharmacists for both prescription drug claims and patient procedures or services within their scope of practice at a rate not less than that paid to other non-physician practitioners, was signed by Gov. Andy Beshear (D) last week and will be effective 90 days after sine die, which was March 30.
Also in Kentucky, NACDS has been informed that in a meeting this week DMS verbally shared that they have finalized the single PBM pharmacy reimbursement model as NADAC (including current FFS “lesser of” computation) + PDF of $10.64 — the current fee-for-service model. Notably, although SB 50 of the last session allowed Medicaid to implement tiering, the final proposal will reimburse all pharmacies equally. Commissioner Lisa Lee reported that MedImpact and the Managed Care Organizations are expected to and will be required to meet the July 1, 2021 implementation date. NACDS thanks the Kentucky Retail Federation and the Kentucky Pharmacists Association for their work on this issue during and after the passage of SB 50 of the last session. NACDS served on the Medicaid PTAC Committee which recommended this methodology to Medicaid.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
Medicaid is launching a new Medicaid Provider Enrollment Portal in April to screen and enroll all Medicaid providers. The enrollment portal is being designed to meet a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requirement and must be used by all Medicaid providers. More information can be found here.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
SB.2119, has been signed by Governor Tate Reeves (R). Effective January 1, 2022, the measure amends the statute to authorize pharmacies to sell products that contain pseudoephedrine or ephedrine and requires pharmacies that do to use the NPLEX system before selling those products. This measure also requires pharmacies to maintain an electronic log of information for each transaction and to require that purchasers be at least 18 years old and to show identification. This measure requires these products to be stored behind the counter.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
NACDS sponsored the Missouri Pharmacists Association’s Day at the Capitol. MPA’s priority bill, HB 834 by Rep. Dale Wright (R) that regulates PBMs, passed the House and is pending referral to a Senate Committee. More information can be found here.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
COVID-19 vaccination reimbursement under Medicaid will be at the Medicare rate effective April 1, 2021. HF 1428/SF 1156 successfully passed both chambers and was signed by Gov. Jim Walz (D) on March 31.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
On March 31, 2021, Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) announced a directive to reduce barriers to vaccine administration in pharmacies across Montana. The directive permits pharmacists to use any qualified, licensed health care providers, under their scope of practice, to assist with the administration of COVID-19 vaccines for the remainder of the state of emergency and temporarily waives the current restriction on the number of pharmacy technicians a pharmacist may supervise for the administration of COVID-19 vaccines and associated administrative duties and procedures. The directive is in effect for the remainder of Montana’s state of emergency per Executive Order 2-2021.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
The Board of Pharmacy published a notice to announce its intentions to amend and adopt regulations under NAC 453 to establish standards for a computerized program to track controlled substance prescriptions. The rule would provide for the development of patient utilization reports and prescriber utilization reports, address the integration of and access to electronic health records, and address periodic board review and law enforcement access to reports.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
SB 2294, increasing the retail sales quantity from 2 grams to 2.4 grams of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine base, was signed by Gov. Doug Burgum (R) on March 23, 2021.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.