The Board of Pharmacy held its quarterly meeting in mid-February and provided a meeting packet to all virtual attendees which included an update on the Prescription Monitoring Program.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
SB 1214, legislation that would permit pharmacists pursuant to a statewide written protocol to independently test and treat for flu, strep, COVID, PEP/PrEP or a condition related to an emerging or existing public health threat for individuals 12 years of age and older, passed the Senate and was transmitted to the House. Also, a pharmacist may delegate the task of performing the test to a licensed staff member under the supervision of the pharmacist.
Also in Arizona, HB 2628, legislation that would allow a pharmacist to order and administer emergency medication to manage an acute allergic reaction to medication administered at the pharmacy, passed the House, and was transmitted to the Senate.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
Several Walgreens pharmacists, including Nichole Cover, Director of Pharmacy Affairs, and Christina Kelley, Pharmacy Manager, participated in the Arkansas Pharmacy Day at the Capitol in February with Arkansas Pharmacy Association President John Vinson and Harding University College of Pharmacy student pharmacist, Ethan Pell.
Also in Arkansas, the Insurance Department’s (AID) Commissioner Alan McClain issued Bulletin 2-2025 updating the PBM reporting process, extending the review period for Rule 128 submissions because of the high volume of reports received.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
The Department of Health Care Services posted the following alerts, weekly notices and monthly bulletin on the Medi-Cal Rx Web Portal:
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) issued Executive Order Number 25-44, creating the state’s Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) task force, which will work to further eliminate waste within state government, save taxpayers money and ensure accountability in the state.
Also in Florida, the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) scheduled a workshop for Rule 59G-4.002, F.A.C., Provider Reimbursement Schedules and Billing Codes, for March 11 from 10:00 am to 10:30 am at AHCA, 2727 Mahan Drive, Building 3, Tallahassee, FL 32308. A virtual option or call-in number will not be available for this meeting. Official notice of the meeting was published in Vol. 51/No. 38 of the Florida Administrative Register (FAR) on February 25. A copy of the notice may be found at https://flrules.org/Gateway/View_notice.asp?id=29291301; click on “View Notice”. Please note that a preliminary draft of the reference material, if available, will be posted prior to the meeting on the Rules Web page.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
The Hawaii Pharmacists Association (HPhA) is bringing back Pharmacy Advocacy Day at the Hawai’i State Capitol. HPhA members and non-members are welcome to attend this free event where the association will coordinate meetings with state legislators to discuss the importance of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. This date is coordinated with the crossover of many pharmacy initiatives and will help provide momentum as bills travel through their second chambers.
A networking lunch will be sponsored by HPhA, attendees will be recognized on the House floor during session, and health screenings will be provided by University of Hawai’i Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy student pharmacists to Capitol employees and visitors. Please register here to attend and email hawaiipharm@gmail.com with any questions. Registration closes on March 16.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
The Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) will post its updated Preferred Drug List (PDL) on March 13. This update will include all changes that have been made during the past 12 months. While the Pharmacy Benefit Management System (PBMS) prior authorization system is pending restoration, HFS strongly encourages prescribers to prescribe and pharmacies to fill using drugs from the PDL, as clinically appropriate. This will prevent customers from having to change medications in the future when the prior authorization system is restored. As a reminder, HFS’ PDL can be accessed online. For questions, please contact a pharmacy billing advisor at 877-782-5565, option 7.
Also in Illinois, this notice informs providers of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services’ (HFS) compliance with Public Act 103-0593, which removes prior authorization requirements for Serious Mental Illness (SMI) pharmaceuticals that treat certain diagnoses for patients experiencing a change in behavioral health provider, a change in insurance provider or a change in dosage. The Act clearly defines which diagnoses constitute serious mental illness and the circumstances under which prior authorization is prohibited. The policy applies to both the fee-for-service (FFS) program and the HealthChoice Illinois (HCI) managed care organizations (MCOs) and was effective January 1, 2025.
HFS will waive the prior authorization requirement when the patient is stable on an SMI medication and one or more of the following conditions are met:
A one-time prior authorization may be required in instances where HFS does not have the patient’s prescription history and stability on the existing regimen must be confirmed.
Select safety edits will remain in place, ie, clinically appropriate drug utilization review (DUR) edits, including, but not limited to, drug-drug, drug-age, drug-dose requirements. HFS may require generic use where one is available and meets the needs of the patient. Questions regarding this notice may be directed to a pharmacy consultant in the Bureau of Professional and Ancillary Services at 877-782-5565 for FFS claims or the applicable HCI MCO.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
SB 140, the commercial rate floor bill establishing a minimum reimbursement rate of the pharmacy’s acquisition cost plus a professional dispensing fee equal to the Medicaid fee-for-service dispensing fee, was amended, passed the Senate and was referred to the House Committee on Insurance.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
On March 3, the Joint Health and Human Services Committee held a working session on the budget, which includes a $.70/prescription tax on all prescriptions dispensed in the state. NACDS attended along with the Retail Association of Maine, the Maine Pharmacists Association and the Maine Society of Health–System Pharmacists. The budget is still pending and will next be reviewed by the Joint Appropriations Committee.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.
