Michael Silber, Author at In The States

Washington

The Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission (PQAC) posted its quarterly newsletter.

Also in Washington, PQAC updated and approved the Nonresident Pharmacy: List of Approved Inspection Programs Directive at the August meeting. The updated version is effective October 1, 2024, for all nonresident pharmacies.

Finally in Washington, the Department of Health (DOH) filed a CR-102 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking amending a section of rule, WAC 246-945-015 Minimum Requirements for Dispensing Practitioners, creating four new sections of rule:

WACs 246-945-026 Accessible Prescription Information;
Definitions, 246-945-027 Accessible Prescription Information;
246-945-028 Accessibility of Prescription Information for Visually Impaired or Print Disabled Individuals; and
246-945-029 Translation and Interpretation for Prescription Information for LEP Individuals.

The proposed rule requires that all dispensing practitioners and dispensing facilities in the state provide prescription information to the patient on the container in a format that can be accurately comprehended by the patient. A public hearing for this proposed rulemaking will be held on October 4, 2024. The CR-102 form and the rule language may be viewed at the following links:

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

Michael Silber2024-08-29T14:26:00-04:00August 29, 2024|Washington|

Arkansas

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) announced that she is joining Insurance Department Commissioner Alan McClain in imposing penalties and hearings against four PBMs – Caremark, Magellan, Express Scripts and MedImpact – for allegedly violating a June 28 bulletin from the Insurance department advising PBMs to stop paying pharmacies below the national average drug acquisition cost (NADAC).

Also in Arkansas: Attorney General Tim Griffin sues PBMs for alleged role in the state’s opioid epidemic.

Also in Arkansas, effective August 1, 2024, Medicaid Fee-for-Service reimburses pharmacies for diabetes testing supplies and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) through the pharmacy billing system (Prime/Magellan). This includes diabetes lancets, meters, test strips, CGMs and CGM supplies.

Finally in Arkansas, the Pharmacists Association (APA) shared that Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) is paying pharmacists to capture A1c and other diabetes interventions for some patients through Outcomes.

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

Michael Silber2024-08-08T08:31:46-04:00August 8, 2024|Arkansas|

Arizona

Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) signed SB 1211 (Chapter 232), legislation allowing pharmacists to dispense naloxone hydrochloride, or any other opioid antagonist approved by the FDA without a signed prescription and removing the requirement that the Board of Pharmacy establish protocols for the dispensing of naloxone hydrochloride and other opioid antagonists.

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

Michael Silber2024-08-08T08:31:17-04:00August 8, 2024|Arizona|

California

The Department of Health Care Services posted the following alerts, weekly notices and monthly bulletin on the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal:

Also in California, this week, SB 966, PBM reform legislation, including provisions prohibiting the use of spread pricing, requiring 100% pass-through of manufacturer rebates to plan sponsors, and prohibiting the steering of patients to PBM-affiliated pharmacies, was placed on the Assembly Appropriations Committee suspense file and must be voted off the suspense file by August 16 to advance to the Assembly floor.

Finally in California, this week, the following bills were placed on the Senate Appropriations Committee suspense file and must be voted off the suspense file by August 16 to advance to the Senate floor:

AB 1794, legislation clarifying that the value of all property taken over the course of distinct but related acts may be aggregated even though the thefts occurred in different places or from different victims and authorizing counties to operate a program to allow retailers to submit details of alleged shoplifting, organized retail theft or grant theft directly to the county district attorney through an online portal to the district attorney’s internet website.
AB 82, legislation prohibiting a retail establishment from selling dietary supplements for weight loss or over-the-counter diet pills to any person under 18 years of age without a prescription. Amendments to the introduced language lowered the civil penalties from $1,000 to $250 for each violation and changed the effective date to January 1, 2026.

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

Michael Silber2024-08-08T08:30:41-04:00August 8, 2024|California|

Colorado

On August 19, the Board of Pharmacy is holding a Stakeholder Meeting to receive feedback on proposed changes to the following draft rules:

Rule 14.00.00 – OTHER OUTLETS – The purpose of the proposed amendments to

Board Rule 14 is to allow off-site dispensing by hospital staff.

Rule 15.00.00 – WHOLESALERS – The purpose of the proposed amendments to

Board Rule 15 is to update recordkeeping requirements of wholesalers

specifically related to animal drugs.

Rule 17.00.00 – COLLABORATIVE PHARMACY PRACTICE – The purpose of the

proposed amendments to Board Rule 17 is to update Collaborative Pharmacy

Practice Rules as they relate physician assistants to align them with

superseding regulatory changes around physician assistants.

Rule 21-00-00 – COMPOUNDING – The purpose of the proposed amendments to

Board Rule 21 is to update controlled substance distribution laws to better

clarify the law and align with federal requirements.

Rule 17, Appendix A – The purpose of the proposed amendments to Board Rule

17, Appendix A is to update clinical standards and to fix minor clerical errors.

Rule 3.00.00 – DISPENSING – The purpose of the proposed amendments to Board

Rule 3 is to add a short rule clarifying and referring to the new legislative

requirement of prescription label accessibility from HB24-1115.

Rule 23.00.00 – ELECTRONIC PRESCRIPTION MONITORING PROGRAM – The

purpose of this Rule Revision is to change the requirement to report pharmacy

data submission delinquency to the Board and give flexibility may changing

“will” to “may” which statute allows.

Rule 11.00.00 – RECORDS – The purpose of this Rule revision is to update

outdated terminology that no longer exists related to board approval of

electronic record storage.

Rules 2.00.00 – ORDERS, 3.00.00 -DISPENSING, and 31.00.00 – TELEPHARMACY –

The purpose of the proposed amendments to Board Rule 2, 3, and 31 is to

implement SB24-209 Changes to the Pharmacy Practice Act Regarding

Dispensing of Prescription Drugs, including repeal of Area of Need from

Telepharmacies, updated labeling requirements, and updated functional ability

for technicians.

Also on the Stakeholder Meeting agenda are two new proposed rules:

Rule 17.00.00, Appendix F – MAT Prescription Protocol – The purpose of the

proposed Rule 17, Appendix F is to create a new MAT Prescribing Statewide

Protocol required as part of implementation of HB24-1045.

Rule 17.00.00, Appendix E – The purpose of the proposed amendments to Board

Rule 17, Appendix E, is to create a new state-wide protocol of clinical

standards for statin therapy.

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

Michael Silber2024-08-08T08:29:44-04:00August 8, 2024|Colorado|

Florida

For Medicaid recipients, maintaining access to critical Medicaid services is imperative during the State of Emergency related to Tropical Storm Debby. To this end, the Agency will ensure reimbursement for critical Medicaid services provided in good faith to eligible recipients who reside in the counties impacted by the storm. The Agency will waive all prior authorization requirements for critical Medicaid services beginning August 4, 2024, until further notice. Early prescription refill edits have been lifted for all maintenance medications (note: this does not apply to controlled substances).

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

Michael Silber2024-08-08T08:28:39-04:00August 8, 2024|Florida|

Indiana

The Family and Social Services Administration’s (FSSA) Indiana Health Coverage Programs (IHCP) Medicaid posted a bulletin with new pharmacy updates approved by the Drug Utilization Review Board July 2024.

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

Michael Silber2024-08-08T08:27:57-04:00August 8, 2024|Indiana|

Iowa

Board of Pharmacy was moved from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to the Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing (DIAL). Upon the transition to DIAL, all health profession programs were combined into one with one set of rules, requiring a common naming convention. The Iowa Monitoring Program for Pharmacy Professionals (IMP3) will now be the Iowa Professional Health Program – Pharmacy (IPHP-Pharmacy). The program’s role is to provide pharmacy professionals and student pharmacists with support for recovery from substance use, mental health issues and other physical conditions.

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

Michael Silber2024-08-08T08:27:26-04:00August 8, 2024|Iowa|

Kansas

The Board of Pharmacy reminded pharmacy technicians that they must pass a national technician certification exam before the first renewal or, if previously registered, at the time of application. The Board approved the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) and the National HealthCareer Association Examination for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT).

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

Michael Silber2024-08-08T08:26:53-04:00August 8, 2024|Kansas|

About Michael Silber